Atlanta Hawks Offseason Needs

Let Josh Smith Walk:
Let him walk, he is not a superstar, but he will want superstar money. He takes terrible shots and scores at an inefficient rate for a power forward. In my opinion, he is not even the best big man on the team, that distinction goes to Al Horford. Smith will likely get a big deal with some team, but I would not sign him if I were part of any front office. They should not lose a step considering they have two first round draft picks to fill the hole left by him.

Starting Big Man:
With Josh Smith gone, they will need another starting big man next to Horford. Since Horford can play both power forward and center, they can draft or sign anyone that they want to. I would recommend pursuing Al Jefferson. He would be available because Smith's contract should be off of the books. He and Horford are both offensively minded and crafty scorers. They could also draft a big man. Gorgui Dieng comes to mind. He is a defensively minded player who blocks shots at a high rate. He is also developing a nice mid range game. He would likely start at center right away, while Horford moves to power forward. They could also go after Steven Adams who is a very raw player, but has the body and the skills to be a big time player in the NBA. I would like to see them go after Mason Plumlee in the draft. He would add a nice scoring option next to Horford. He is probably the best offensive player they could draft at this point. However, he would be soft on defense, but he is very energetic and almost never takes a play off.

Starting Small Forward:
They need help at both positions. It is a good thing that they have back-to-back draft picks in the first round. At Small forward I see to options, Giannas Anetetokounmpo or Tony Mitchell. Giannas has risen up some draft boards, but it is unknown where he will be drafted since a lot of GM's are weary of European players. He has a point forward type of skill set and is very athletic so he could be taken earlier. He would be a great snag of Atlanta at this point in the draft. If Giannas is off of the board, they could go after Tony Mitchell who is also very athletic. He is no point forward, but he do a lot of other things, including going to grab rebounds. He is not very physical inside, but he can score at a decent rate. They also need a shooting guard, but Small forward is more of an urgent need as of now.

The Hawks need to take a step back and look at Josh Smith objectively. If he would get his head on straight he could be a great player, but he too often settles for ill-advised jump shots. I think he is too old to correct that now. They can save 12 million dollars a year by letting him go, and that is assuming that he wont demand more in free agency. To replace him, they need to draft a big man. Since Horford can play both positions, they can draft whomever they want to. They have also a needed a small forward for a very long time. Hopefully Giannas or Mitchell will not underachieve, if they are drafted by the Hawks, like Marvin Williams did in Atlanta. They might not make the playoffs next season, but that does not mean that they are not improving. Horford will get a bigger role next season and he should prove he is one of the top centers in the league. I expect them to be playoff contenders again in two or three years.