The Atlanta Hawks are currently in the middle of an unexpected transition. After owner Bruce Levenson opted to surrender the franchise are a racial email surfaced, the team is currently in the process of being sold to the highest bidder. On top of that, general manager Danny Ferry could be dismissed for his role in the situation after a scouting report on Luol Deng also cited racial comments. With the team in a state of flux, will they be forced to sell the farm on the roster?
According to Steve Kyler of BasketballInsiders.com, there is a chance that the roster for the Hawks will be poached during this time of uncertainty. After shocking the league last year and making it into the Eastern Conference playoffs and pushing the Indiana Pacers to seven games, the Hawks were hoping to capitalize off momentum and return stronger in 2014. However, a new ownership group could look to get rid of several contracts before the year.
Kyler writes that a fire sale on the roster is extremely unlikely. Right now, the Hawks are more concerned with establishing a new and trustworthy ownership group that can help re-establish the reputation of the franchise. The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that there is no shortage of interest in owning the team and that will remain the priority over trading players.
There are certainly teams interested in acquiring Hawks players. The Detroit Pistons have shown a lot of interest in Al Horford. Atlanta has kept their eye on Greg Monroe, under the impression that he is a player to build a franchise around. However, when healthy, Horford is still one of the top big men in the league and Atlanta will not get rid of him unless he suffers another season-ending injury.
There is also interest regarding Paul Millsap. The Houston Rockets have expressed their liking of Millsap, especially with his expiring contract and strong stats. However, the Hawks have denied every potential deal for Millsap and they will continue to do so. Atlanta prefers to re-sign Millsap next offseason over making a trade with so many other things going on.
The Hawks are going to be rebuilding in a way this coming year with a change in leadership. Millsap and Horford will be crucial to that effort in the future.
