The next question for the Nets was brought up by Alex__Schiffer last month... 'Can you convince (Kevin) Durant you’re a contender without Irving?' — Alex__Schiffer All things NBA trade deadline ⤵️
Math is hard. You don’t have to tell this former journalism student that much, as I picked that major at Sacramento State University, in part, as a way of steering clear of the dreaded numbers game. But it doesn’t take a math wiz to see the Atlanta Hawks’ payroll may be problematic in the coming years. Especially considering they’re still struggling to play their way into playoff position.
It’s not just a matter of avoiding the kinds of luxury-tax bills that may be coming their way, but the holistic question of whether they can return to contender status anytime soon with some of these players and this compilation of contracts. I don’t know what they’ll do, but I find the mystery of it all very interesting.
They’re tied to long-term deals with franchise centerpiece Trae Young , forward De’Andre Hunter and forward John Collins . Center Clint Capela is owed $43 million in the next two seasons, and All-Star guard Dejounte Murray — who remains a major priority in their big-picture plans — is owed $17.7 million next season before his crucial free agency arrives in the summer of 2024.
If these Landry Fields-led Hawks stay on this tricky track, building around Young while eventually giving Murray the kind of max money that is likely coming his way in that offseason, that’s when it could get ugly. And remember, we’re only six months removed from Atlanta’s one-sided Kevin Huerter trade with Sacramento that was widely known to have been driven by ownership’s desire to get below the luxury tax. So yes, in other words, money matters. But so does winning.
In the eyes of many around the league, all those economic truths make it all the more likely that the Hawks do something of significance before the Feb. 9 trade deadline. They’re currently approximately $2 million under the tax, meaning they don’t have to do anything now for financial purposes.
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