The Atlanta Hawks have struggled to a 29-30 record. That number is good enough for eighth in the Eastern conference, and well short of expectations for the 2022-2023 season. That is especially true considering the major acquisitions made this last offseason.
Brad Rowland joined Chris Goforth to discuss the disappointing season, and why he believes the team could find itself looking quite different at the behest of upper management.
"I think a lot has to do with the urgency level from the top," Rowland explained to Chris Goforth. "I think going into last summer, we heard that [Hawks' owner] Tony Ressler was pushing a change of some kind."
That "big sweeping change" came in the form of Dejounte Murray, and the Hawks had finally pushed their chips into the center of the table. That was until soon afterward when the franchise shipped Kevin Huerter away for a meager haul in a move that clearly indicated that the team wasn't interested in entering the luxury tax in the 2022-23 season.
Is that same push from management going to be there this summer? If the Hawks continue to fall short of expectations, then no one should be surprised if there is a new-look team taking the court in October.
"If [they fall short] at the end of the season, I think Tony [Ressler] may shake things up," Brad finished. "I think it would be surprising to me if they just ran it back. Because if they run it back, you're running back a team that is not necessarily playing that well but is also extremely expensive going into next season."
Speculation has, and will continue, to swirl around this franchise and its assets as the months get warmer.