The Atlanta Hawks season came to an end on April 27th with a Game 6 loss to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Since then, much has been made about the possibility of moving on from a few key contributors from this roster. Even more noise has been made about a "dream" pairing with one member of that same Celtics team that brought an end to the Hawks season, Jaylen Brown.
Brown's desire to play for his hometown Hawks is one of the worst kept secrets in the NBA. However, just how realistic is it that we may see Brown in an Atlanta uniform next season? According to one Hawks' reporter, those chances are slim at best.
Lauren Williams, Hawks' reporter for the AJC, joined "The Dopey Millennials Show" with Caleb Johnson on Sunday and listed some of the obstacles the Hawks face if they do want to add Jaylen Brown.
The first and largest obstacle is the Boston Celtics. The Celtics, who according to team executive Brad Stevens, "want Brown here (Boston)," would be able to offer him a supermax contract extension that would pay him north of $290 million. That much money would be hard for the Atlanta native to turn down.
Atlanta's salary cap situation would make a signing or trade for Jaylen Brown difficult as well. With approximately, $139 million in allocated salary, the Hawks are over the expected $134 million salary cap set for next season. Meaning, the Hawks would have to part ways with the majority of their starting roster.
Clint Capela and John Collins are likely options to be moved this offseason, but gutting an already under-performing roster for a player that would be a secondary option behind Trae Young would not make much sense.
Brown may very well find his way to Atlanta during his playing career, but its unlikely to happen this off-season.