Where do the Atlanta Hawks stand in the Eastern Conference after the first half of free agency?

The NBA offseason has slowed down considerably after the first few days of free agency. There are still a few trades to be made, but it seems like things have calmed down across the league. The Hawks were a team that was going to make some trades and they made one of the biggest trades of the offseason last week when they sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, EJ Liddell and two first-round picks. There were rumors that the Hawks might move Clint Capela or De’Andre Hunter, but they haven’t done anything significant this offseason other than the NBA Draft and trading Murray.

While acknowledging that there could still be moves made this offseason, where do the Hawks stand relative to the rest of the Eastern Conference after this first period of free agency?

Let’s start at the top.

There is no doubt that the Boston Celtics will be the favorites to win the NBA title next season and will be the heavy favorites to be the first place in the East again. Boston returns its entire team from last year and while it is difficult to repeat that, they will be the best team to do so since Kevin Durant was with the Warriors.

The next tier is where I would put New York and Philadelphia. They both made all-in type trades this offseason in an effort to close the gap between themselves and the Celtics and both should be elite teams this season. New York traded for Mikal Bridges and re-signed OG Anunoby and will have one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Philadelphia signed Paul George to a max contract and is still filling out the rest of their roster. These two teams seem like the most obvious threats to Boston this upcoming season.

Milwaukee, Cleveland, Orlando, Indiana and Miami are teams I would put above the Hawks, but if things go well, there are scenarios where Atlanta is better than some of those teams.

The Bucks have the best player in the Eastern Conference in Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they haven’t made any significant roster changes and are a bit of a slouch right now. The biggest issues will be fixing their perimeter defense and making sure they’re healthy for the playoffs.

Cleveland seems to want to keep their core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen and while they still have to prove they can make a playoff run, these guys showed they were a good core in the regular season and should win at least 45-50 games. If Kenny Atkinson is a huge upgrade at head coach, this team could be in with the Knicks and 76ers.

Orlando, Indiana and Miami are three teams I’m keeping a close eye on this season. Assuming Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Cleveland are the top five teams in the East, the Hawks are going to have to find a way to outperform those three teams to crack the top six in the Eastern Conference. It won’t be easy, of course, but Indiana and Orlando could be teams that regress.

As much as I like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope coming to Orlando, you could still argue that they need a point guard to lead their offense. KCP brings shooting to the Magic, but he’s not a high-usage player who’s going to create for others and instantly improve everyone’s offense. If the Magic remain a below-average offense, they could go from fifth place to a play-in team.

Indiana reached the conference finals, but benefited from Milwaukee’s injuries and the Knicks’ second-round collapse. Indiana was the opposite of Orlando. They had one of the best offenses in the league while being below average on the other end of the floor, though they improved after acquiring Pascal Siakam. If the Pacers’ defense doesn’t improve and the players around Tyrese Haliburton and Siakam don’t continue to improve, Indiana could fall out of the play-in tournament.

Then there’s the Miami Heat. Miami has the best coach in the NBA and has proven they can do well in the play-in tournament, but they haven’t made any big moves and you could argue they’ve gotten worse. They lost Caleb Martin for nothing to Philadelphia and Martin was a huge part of their team. Miami has also struggled to stay healthy and have finished in the play-in tournament two years in a row. On paper, I think Miami can be a top-six seed, but if things go south, they could easily be in the play-in tournament again.

Which brings me back to the Hawks. Barring something drastic, I think Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Cleveland are clearly better than Atlanta. If all of those teams stay healthy, it’s hard for me to see Atlanta finishing above them in the standings, although anything is possible. I think the Hawks, Heat, Magic, and Pacers are all going to be fighting for the No. 6 spot, and I think there’s a case to be made for any of them. I liked what Atlanta did this offseason, and their acquisitions are a better fit for Trae Young.

Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher bring size and defense around Young, helping to cover his defensive inadequacies. If Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu make progress in their development, the Hawks have the foundation for a solid starting five. Add in Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter (if he doesn’t get traded) and the Hawks are a well-built team. A lot will hinge on the new acquisitions and the jumps from Johnson, Okongwu, and second-year point guard Kobe Bufkin, but there are some similarities between this team and the 2020-21 team that surprised everyone by finishing fifth in the East. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen, but this team makes more sense on paper than the last two seasons.

The teams I consider to be better than Atlanta are Toronto, Chicago, Charlotte, Detroit, Washington, and Brooklyn. Barring any major injuries, Atlanta should finish well ahead of these teams, even though Toronto has talent.

There’s a chance the Hawks make some moves to put them in a better position, but here’s how I see the Eastern Conference right now after the first wave of free agency:

1. Boston

2. New York

3. Philadelphia

4. Milwaukee

5. Cleveland

6. Orlando

7. Indiana

8. Miami

9. Atlanta

10. Toronto

11. Chicago

12. Charlotte

13. Detroit

14. Washington

15. Brooklyn

I have Atlanta at 9th, but that’s the 6-9 range they’re likely to fall into. Let’s see how this team performs and if there are any other moves for Landry Fields and the Hawks management.