Where do the Hawks rank in the East?

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily
Episode: Where do the Hawks rank in the East?
Date: July 16, 2026
Host: Dave DuFour with S. Baraheny & guest Lauren Williams (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

---

Episode Overview

This episode features a deep-dive discussion on the Atlanta Hawks’ current offseason moves, roster development, and their trajectory within the revamped and highly competitive Eastern Conference. With summer league insights and thoughtful analysis from Lauren Williams, the group explores the Hawks' continuity post-Trae Young, the impact of rookies, potential rotation battles, and what the near future could hold for Atlanta as a playoff contender.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hawks' Summer Moves and Draft Recap

• Continuity Overhaul:
  • After several years of constant turnover, the Hawks are beginning to prioritize stability and continuity.
  • “The big thing is obviously the continuity, and that's something that you can tell they're starting to value after so much change over the last, you know, three seasons.” — S. Baraheny (03:00)
• Key Draft & Acquisitions:
  • Kingston Flemings: Highly regarded for his maturity and ball security at just 19, providing a solution at point guard after moving on from Trae Young.
    • Primary questions: Can he finish at the rim and shoot more aggressively in their spaced offense?
    • “It makes you forget that he's only 19 years old and he has that much ball security. But we love it.” — S. Baraheny (03:40)
  • Zubi Edifor: Chosen over a traditional big, brings high motor, offensive rebounding, and positional versatility.
  • Henry Vasár: Unexpectedly fell in the draft; the Hawks maneuvered to secure him to a second-year exception deal. High ceiling due to size and established shooting, though may start slow as he adjusts physically.
    • “He might have a little bit more of a higher ceiling just because of his size... the shooting is already there.” — S. Baraheny (05:20)

2. Team Identity & Versatility

• The Hawks are intentionally building versatility—many players can slot across multiple positions.
  • “As you mentioned, they have a type and versatility is the type.” — S. Baraheny (04:35)

3. Growth Areas and Key Players to Watch

• Internal Player Development:
  • The focus is on whether role players like Nikhil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson, and Dyson Daniels can elevate their games, particularly offensively, after some playoff struggles the previous year.
  • Jalen Johnson’s development on defense is critical for his role as a leader and for justifying a future supermax contract.
    • “He had a rough year defensively, and part of that is he's taken on so much of an offensive load. But... you've got to do both ways.” — Dave DuFour (08:17)
• Zachary Risache:
  • After a great rookie year but disappointing sophomore campaign, the staff believes his drop-off might be tied to less ball-handling opportunities post-Trae. Now, he needs to aggressively reclaim a niche as a connector: a playmaker and floor spacer.
• Chemistry with New Additions:
  • Integration and chemistry building, especially between young talents like Kingston Flemings and Risache, will directly impact rotation minutes and overall team success.

4. Where Do the Hawks Rank in the East?

• Competitive Landscape:
  • The East is “back”—a gauntlet with teams like New York (with a returning core), improved Indiana, a changed Boston, and wild cards like Chicago and Miami (now with Giannis).
  • “There's like 11 teams in these [East] that feel like they're taking [a step forward].” — Dave DuFour (15:00)
• Realistic Outlook:
  • Balanced between hope and realism. The panel sees the Hawks as likely play-in participants, possibly peaking at the 6th seed if everything clicks but more likely closer to 8th.
    • “Optimistically... maybe six again... But realistically, I think they're probably gonna be back in that play-in range. Probably maybe like eight.” — S. Baraheny (15:24–15:53)
• Key Wildcards:
  • Rookies’ immediate impact, Jalen Johnson’s leap, and rotation clarity will define their ceiling.

5. Roster & Offseason Moves Still to Come?

• Hawks have 16 players under contract; expect some shuffling before the season starts. Possible involvement in bigger league moves (e.g., LeBron or Kaminga trades) is mentioned.
• Kaminga likely doesn’t fit the Hawks’ needs or rotation logjam at the wing.
  • “There’s just like little things that you just kind of. What are you doing? I don’t know if this, this fits long term...” — S. Baraheny (19:46)

6. Crystal Ball: Who Wins the East?

• Knicks: Dave’s pick for Eastern champs — citing chemistry, continuity, and late-season moves (even with the loss of Mitch Robinson).
  • “They were the... best team in the playoffs. They brought everybody back except for Mitch.” — Dave DuFour (21:13)
• 76ers-Knicks ECF: S. Baraheny likes Philly as a dark horse (assuming Embiid’s health and good fit with Maxey and the recently acquired Jalen Brown).

7. Approach to Star Acquisitions

• Despite rumors, the Hawks didn’t pursue stars like Jalen Brown, opting for flexibility and letting their young core develop.
  • “A Jalen Brown contract would just kind of maybe... [limit] flexibility for them to kind of... make other deals work.” — S. Baraheny (23:23–23:26)
• Accumulating picks post-Murray trade positions the Hawks for future big swings once their trajectory is clearer.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kingston Flemings:
  • “He’s only 19 years old and he has that much ball security. But we love it.” — S. Baraheny (03:40)
• On Jalen Johnson’s New Role:
  • “He needs to step into his role as a leader. And we saw... the beginnings of that. And now not only does he have to say the right things, but he also has to be about the right things.” — S. Baraheny (08:45)
• On Hawks' Flexibility:
  • “Optionality. You know, a Jalen Brown contract would just kind of maybe... [limit] flexibility for them to kind of... make other deals work.” — S. Baraheny (23:23–23:26)
• Comic Relief:
  • “Find out next on dribbling Ball Z.” — Dave DuFour (09:29) (after a dramatic setup for Jalen Johnson’s development)
• On the East’s depth:
  • “There’s like 11 teams in [the] East that feel like they’re taking [a step forward].” — Dave DuFour (15:00)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:39 — Show introduction; Atlanta Hawks focus
• 03:00 — Hawks’ new offseason direction and valuing continuity
• 03:40–05:35 — Draft breakdown: Kingston Fleming, Zubi Edifor, Henry Vasár
• 06:30–08:17 — Current identity, playoff experience, and challenges ahead for internal players
• 08:17–11:11 — Jalen Johnson’s critical defensive step, Risache’s needed jump in Year 3
• 12:08–13:38 — Are the Hawks building or contending? Roster assessment
• 14:20–15:53 — Eastern Conference predictions: Where do the Hawks slot in?
• 16:31–18:09 — Dark horse teams, ceiling/floor for Bulls and others
• 18:46–20:53 — Potential roster changes, trade scenarios, Kaminga discussion
• 21:08–23:26 — Crystal ball: Picking the next Eastern champion, Jalen Brown trade talks
• 23:58 — Closing thoughts

---

Conclusion

The episode provides a comprehensive mid-offseason check-in on the Hawks, emphasizing the organization’s commitment to development and versatility while acknowledging the Eastern Conference’s daunting landscape. The team is likely to hover around the play-in range, with their young core’s evolution remaining the pivotal storyline for the 2026 season. Playoff expectations are tempered, but there’s optimism about Atlanta building the right foundation for a future leap.

---

For further detail: Follow The Athletic NBA Daily and read Lauren Williams at the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Transcript

[Discover/Aura Advertiser]

It's smart to always have a few financial goals and a really smart one. You can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can get this. Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. After all, you listen to this show see [e-mail] creditcard.

[Narrator (Aura Ad)]

Most people don't realize how much of their personal information is being bought and sold every day. Data brokers are making billions, pulling details about you from public records and the Internet, then packaging and selling it, usually without your consent. That's how your information lands in the hands of scammers, spammers, even stalkers. It's why you get endless robocalls and why ads seem to follow you everywhere. That's where Aura comes in. Aura actively removes your data from broker sites and keeps it off. They also instantly alert you if your information shows up in a breach or on the dark web. But Aura goes beyond data protection. With one app, you get a vpn, antivirus, password manager, spam call protection, dark web monitoring, and even up to $5 million in identity theft insurance. All backed by 24. 7 US based fraud support. Other companies might sell just credit monitoring or even just a vpn. Aura gives you all of it together at the same price competitors charge for just one service. Start your free trial [e-mail] safety. Protect yourself [e-mail] safety.

[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. I'm Dave DeFore here with S. Baraheny and our special guest from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Lauren Williams to talk Hawks.

[Lauren Williams]

Hello.

[S. Baraheny]

Thanks for having me. Hello, Lauren.

[Dave DeFore]

Hello.

[S. Baraheny]

Hello.

[Dave DeFore]

Welcome back to the show live in person. At summer league.

[S. Baraheny]

At summer league. In summer league.

[Dave DeFore]

Been so far good.

[S. Baraheny]

As you know, I slept most of it.

[Discover/Aura Advertiser]

That's the way to do it.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, because what happens is. And you know, we were. We were did a pod with C.J. miles. He said you always got to skip that. That last Uber. Yeah. He's like, where when they're trying to change places, skip it. And you're just skipping the first one.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah. No, every time Dave will be like, hey, I'm meeting this person here. Do you want to come? I'm like, yeah, let me. Let me get a nap in. And then I don't. I. Once I'm in, I'm doing it right.

[Guest Analyst]

Ye.

[Dave DeFore]

So you're well rested.

[Guest Analyst]

Trying to be.

[Dave DeFore]

You're here. You're covering the Hawks.

[S. Baraheny]

Yep.

[Dave DeFore]

How do you feel about their summer? So Far. I mean, obviously they. They had a pretty good draft, it seems like, bringing back C.J. mcCollum.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

You know, kind of following up on this successful season they had last year.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

What are your thoughts?

[S. Baraheny]

I mean, I think the big thing is obviously the continuity, and that's something that you can tell they're starting to value after so much change over the last, you know, three seasons.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[S. Baraheny]

Moving on from Trey Young, you know, they didn't have a point guard, and that was very evident that they needed that in the playoffs, and they went out and got one in Kingston Flemings. And I think the big thing with summer league is obviously, you take things with a grain of salt, but just how he takes care of the ball is huge. And it. It makes you forget that he's only 19 years old and he has that much ball security. But we love it. I think the big thing that they want to see from him is just, can he get to the basket? Can he finish at the rim? And that's the big question mark. I think they also want him to be a lot more aggressive with shooting, especially because of how much they want to space the floor. And. And maybe it will help him out that, you know, he has shooters around him like Nikhil Alexander Walker and CJ McCollum. Onyeko Kongu, you know, has taken a big step forward as a. As a shooter that can, you know, spread the floor. So I think that will help him out and maybe it will kind of signal to him I can be more aggressive because I have better passers around me.

[Guest Analyst]

It feels like the Hawks very similar to a team I cover in. The Toronto Raptors have a type.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

And Kingston Fleming is one of their type, but also Zubi Edifor is their type. A lot of people thought they would go for, like, the big, big man,

[S. Baraheny]

and I was one of them.

[Guest Analyst]

Right. Instead, they go for the 69 power forward who can crash the offensive glass

[S. Baraheny]

and rebound high motor.

[Guest Analyst]

High motor. Which kind of fits into Yeka Kong. And, like, identity wise, I feel like both of these rookies fit really, really well.

[S. Baraheny]

They do. I think the other thing is, like, they're just so versatile that you can move them up and down the lineup. I mean, I don't see Kingston necessarily being a two that often, but there is the potential that he could be slotted in there. Yes, exactly. And so Zubi, to go back to your original question about him, is just like, again, it's a similar thing where you could have him play alongside Onyeka. You could have him play Alongside Jock Londale. You can have him play alongside Henry V Are. And there's just some versatility there that I think the Hawks very much want in their roster. I think that's. As you mentioned, they have a type and versatility is the type.

[Dave DeFore]

You mentioned Vasar. I mean, he drops in the draft and falls into their lap.

[Guest Analyst]

I think that was intended though.

[S. Baraheny]

Yes, it was.

[Guest Analyst]

We knew.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

Right.

[S. Baraheny]

From, from conversations or from my understanding is that there were, you know, calls with his agent and they were able to make something happen and he's on a, you know, second year exception deal and hey, I mean if you can, if you drop to 50. What, 52 for yourself. Exactly. And you're still making millions of dollars coming out of college. I mean, I feel like that's the ideal thing for, for a rookie. So I mean it's a similar contract they, they had with Mo Gay. But I think the big thing with Henry is he might have a little bit more of a higher ceiling just because of his size. Yeah. And then also the shooting is already there and he's gonna, and he's going to have an opportunity.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, they really, I think, I mean

[S. Baraheny]

I, I do think he can end up getting buried maybe early in the season just because they want to kind of bring him a little bit further along and he has to gain some muscle to go up against some of those bigger bigs. But they have Lundale.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[S. Baraheny]

So they have the room to, to sort of make that happen and then evaluate maybe around trade season and then go from there.

[Guest Analyst]

Do you like looking at this Hawks roster? And obviously you mentioned like the changes. This is now kind of like a brand spanking new season. Right. They're heading into the next year as Jalen Johnson as their guy. I think we know now more about their identity than we did last year when this kind of transition was happening. What do you think is the next thing that they need to do? Because like right now they're a fun good playoff team. Probably going to be in the mix to be like a first round team or maybe second round.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

Right. What's the thing they have to do to get to that next part?

[S. Baraheny]

Hmm. I mean, I think it's very much dependent on Canyek take a next step. Can you know some of those role players that kind of disappeared in the playoffs last season. Nikhil. Yeah. Jalen. Can they take another step forward? And I think the big thing is now they have the experience of what it means to, especially in Nikhil's case of being a, a primary option in the playoffs. He has, he has that experience of how to now navigate that, and hopefully he can learn from what maybe didn't go right against the Knicks series. I also think the Knicks are just. We saw how good they were and the fact, the. The fact that the Hawks got two wins. Yeah, it took two wins. Obviously, there are no moral victories, but I think the big thing is just Ken Jalen and Nikhil Dyson Daniels. Can those guys sort of, you know, be a little bit more aggressive in. In their offensive game? I thought they were pretty good. And, you know, defensively in games two and three, even game one, and then it just all fell apart after that.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, the Knicks turned into a juggernaut. Yeah. Once they got Carl Anthony Towns out there.

[S. Baraheny]

Exactly.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, I, I think one of the big things that they need to happen is Jalen Johnson needs to take a D defensive step forward. He had. He had a rough year defensively, and part of that is he's taken on so much of an offensive load. But, you know, look, if you're going to be a guy, who's the guy, you got to do both ways. I mean, what is, what is his role going to look like this year? Is there a chance that maybe we see him take a little bit of a step back on the offensive end? Because you've added all these guys. Nikhil needs maybe a bigger role.

[S. Baraheny]

I mean, I think that's something that they'll probably figure out. But I think the thing for him is that he needs to step into his role as a leader. And we saw. Saw the beginnings of that. And now not only does he have to say the right things, but he also has to be about the right things. And to your point, the defense, I think, you know, having him beside Anya Kokongu and Dyson sort of kind of covered up some of those defensive mistakes that he may have made. Nikhil as well. Yeah. But to your point, like you said, he's going to have to take that step forward, especially if he is going to command more money because he's going to eventually be eligible for that supermax. If he's the number one option, will

[Guest Analyst]

he be able to sacrifice like all these other stars are doing?

[Dave DeFore]

Find out next on dribbling Ball Z.

[Guest Analyst]

That is going to be my gripe for the rest of the.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, yeah, Okay.

[Guest Analyst]

I will say what's going on with Zachary Reich, because this is. Obviously, he had an impressive rookie year.

[S. Baraheny]

We talked about this before.

[Guest Analyst]

Not an impressive second year.

[S. Baraheny]

No.

[Guest Analyst]

They've also added Aaron Wiggins. They Traded for depth, Devon Carter, which is like more rotation pieces that you potentially play. What is going to happen with.

[S. Baraheny]

I mean I think the fact that they, you know, still have him on the team and they haven't traded him away, they still believe in him. And I think the big thing is in conversations that I had with like some of the coaching staff is maybe we didn't look at how much Trey impacted what he was able to do his rookie season. And so when you take that out, you know, Jalen has the ball in his hands a lot more. Nikhil has the ball in his hands. You know, pretty significant. Dyson. So that's three options that have now taken away some of his touches. And so I think he now needs to be a lot more aggressive. Last season they tried to bring that out by encouraging him to attack the offensive glass, try and get some of those put backs. And I think, you know, now it's developing that dribble. I, I, he completely lost his hand. I think he had a base level.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah, there's a confidence.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah, he had the base level handle his, his rookie year and, and sophomore year, you're just kind of looking at him like dribble the ball, drive didn't

[Guest Analyst]

have reps. Yeah, no. Some of the creative passes he was making in his rookie year like, oh, I see the flash.

[S. Baraheny]

Exactly. And then all gone. Yeah, all gone.

[Dave DeFore]

As a connective player like this is this, I mean number one is important season for him regardless. Year three you're this high of a draft pick like make or break. Prove it in Atlanta at least make or break. But I would say that with all these on ball guys, he has a real opportunity to turn himself into this connective piece for them that they missed. Because look, Dyson Daniels, when you get into the playoffs, his offensive game is going to get him off the court.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

They need Risache to be out there as a guy who knows how to make a pass.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Who can make a shot.

[S. Baraheny]

And he's also really solid on defense. And then you can't takeaway size and just the fact that he's 6 10.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[S. Baraheny]

You can't make that up compared to Dyson. 6 7.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. I mean listen, when I'm thinking about this team and you look at the run that they had to, you know, leading into the playoffs and they, I mean a lot of people were saying,

[Guest Analyst]

oh, Hawks are going to be the next.

[Lauren Williams]

Right.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah, I was, I was hopeful, I was optimistic.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, but you know, but then the east got so much better. Right. And so when you're looking at the changes that they've made. Do you feel like they've done enough to improve their team or is this more of a. Hey, look. Okay, we've got. We're assembling pieces.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Slow process or they getting themselves ready to compete.

[S. Baraheny]

I think especially because they have three rookies on the roster, it's probably a step, like a little bit of a step back.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[S. Baraheny]

See where they are and then assess from there. I just, especially with, you know, them signing CJ Just for one year, Jock for just one year. You know, they're hoping that these guys might hit the ground running and they don't have these sort of stumbles that some rookies have. You're kind of hopeful that maybe they have like a Dylan Harper trajectory or a Stefan Castle where they're impact players right away. And you know, Kingston obviously has the potential to be that from what we've seen already, especially if he can figure out how to get to the rim a little bit more. I love his mid range game, but you know, some of his finishes are just always like a touch off. So if he, if he can, you know, be what they expect him to be right away. I mean, even he said he's like, I'm not going to be an all NBA guard, you know, my first season. But the fact that he's even thinking that tells you that he processes things the way that you would want your floor general to do. Like they have. They keep things in perspective.

[Dave DeFore]

And he's got a role, I think on the team immediately.

[Guest Analyst]

Absolutely.

[Dave DeFore]

You know, like he had a great run last year, but you can't expect him to take on that kind of workload full season. And honestly they shouldn't because you got to develop Flemings. But I think that probably in the rotation to start the year, which is funny for a playoff team, they also

[Guest Analyst]

have a chance to play a lot of unique basketball because they cut more than any team in basketball last year. They run off of screens a lot. And I think the combination of Dyson Daniels was a really good cutter. Nikhil, who's a good cutter? Jalen even. Honestly, I think Reese's Shay fits into that.

[S. Baraheny]

I was gonna say if he can develop chemistry with Kingston very quickly. Yeah, that will probably open the group. Yeah, that will open the door for maybe some more minutes for him.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah, that's interesting. So, okay, what do you think they rank in the Eastern Conference because like this is now the conversation we're having with everybody. Yeah, the east is back.

[S. Baraheny]

The east is back.

[Dave DeFore]

East is beast we're assuming Kawhi is a Rap Raptor.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Narrator (Aura Ad)]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

We're assuming Kawhi is a Raptor. Indiana is healthy with Tyrese Halliburton. You know, obviously the Jalen Brown situation in Boston, they've changed a little bit.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah. The Bulls might be a lot better than they were last year.

[Guest Analyst]

Maybe.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Caleb Wilson looks good.

[S. Baraheny]

That's what I'm saying.

[Guest Analyst]

Incredible. He's probably. He's like a rookie of the year shoe in.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

At this point compared. I don't know.

[Dave DeFore]

It's a great.

[Guest Analyst]

It's a great class.

[S. Baraheny]

And then who knows what's going to happen with Washington and.

[Guest Analyst]

Right.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah. And that group.

[Dave DeFore]

There's like 11 teams in these.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

That. That feel like they're taking.

[Guest Analyst]

Well, there's. There's Cleveland. Who knows if LeBron ends up going Cleveland or if he goes somewhere else. Miami just added Giannis. There's just. There's so many teams that think they are going to be the one that

[S. Baraheny]

goes to the final and who knows what Detroit is doing. I can't. I can't figure. I can't figure that out.

[Guest Analyst]

So. Okay, where do the Hawks land in all of this?

[S. Baraheny]

So. Optimist.

[Guest Analyst]

They took us. They took a little.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah. I was going to say, optimistically, if things, you know, kind of pan out, how maybe you would want them. How you want them to pan out. You know, I see them maybe six again. That's the very optimistic.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[S. Baraheny]

Like, outlook for me. But realistically, I think they're probably gonna be back in that play in range. Probably maybe like eight.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[S. Baraheny]

Is kind of where I realistically maybe see them kind of fall.

[Guest Analyst]

This is, this is the interesting thing about the east next year. And I'm curious to get your thoughts on this. It's like it is going to be matchup based a lot like the west was over the last couple years. And you look at teams like Boston, who will be a bus on the regular season. Indiana, that likely will be a bus.

[Dave DeFore]

We'll see about Boston. I. I'm losing. Jaylen Brown is a big one.

[S. Baraheny]

I think that's.

[Guest Analyst]

It is a loss. But I feel like they. They have again, identity and that might just be enough to win.

[Dave DeFore]

And their. Their system I think is bu. Just win you a lot of games in regular season. Yeah. Right. And what we saw was a. Maybe a breakdown. Once you get to the who's.

[Guest Analyst]

Who's your dark horse in the east. Who's like that one team, you're like, watch out for this one.

[S. Baraheny]

I don't know, maybe the Bulls.

[Guest Analyst]

Bulls would be fun. It'd be fun if they had like

[S. Baraheny]

a. I don't know. I just. I feel like Giddy played so well last season. I mean, obviously you can't discount like the start was the start, but he was still pretty. Matas is going to. I just. I'm so impressed with his game and how. Yeah, Claxton. I forget Norm is on that team now. They might be my dark horse.

[Guest Analyst]

It's actually not a bad pick.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

I grew up a Bulls fan and they just haven't been good in a long time. I just want them to be fun and I think that they have a chance to at least be that Tiago Splitter. Really good.

[S. Baraheny]

That's what I'm saying.

[Guest Analyst]

You know what's funny though? I. I bet you Bulls fans don't want that.

[S. Baraheny]

I bet you they don't want to be a dark.

[Guest Analyst]

BE as not bad. Be mediocre lottery reforms of change. Yeah.

[Lauren Williams]

Be.

[Guest Analyst]

Be the sixth worst team in the NBA.

[Dave DeFore]

At least we'll have fans rooting for their teams to win some games, even when they're quote, unquote, tanking. But okay, so Atlanta's in the play in mix. I kind of agree with that. I think that the six seed is. Is in play for them. Yeah.

[S. Baraheny]

I just think it's a lot to ask of, you know, both CJ and Kingston to carry that kind of like point guard load. And I'm not trying to. I don't discount CJ at all. We saw what he did, but we also saw that it has its limit once, you know, you send doubles, triples.

[Guest Analyst]

That also. It's like Jalen, for how incredible he was last year, like, is still developing. And as.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah, he's only 24.

[Guest Analyst]

That's not like a linear path. There could be a bump. There's. There's growing pains. There's figuring out the defensive side of the ball.

[S. Baraheny]

Like you said, like, and that was his first full. Like, yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

Is the guy.

[S. Baraheny]

And he's what, four years into the NBA?

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Narrator (Aura Ad)]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

So is there anything that they can do between now and the start of the season or. Or that would come out that you. You feel like, oh, okay, this is a little bit of a game changer for this team. Like, is there anything that you're waiting for to see from the Hawks?

[S. Baraheny]

I mean, I just want to see how they sort of clean up the roster right now just because they have, I think 16 guys under contract with Lundale, who resigning. Wiggins, the three draft picks. Carter.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[S. Baraheny]

So There's. There's going to be some shuffling and I'm curious. Obviously they have time. They have all the way until October to figure that out. But I'm just curious to see if they're going to be somebody in like a deal that's gonna maybe be a part of like, the LeBron stuff.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[S. Baraheny]

Like.

[Guest Analyst]

Okay.

[S. Baraheny]

I don't know. I don't know. I'm just.

[Guest Analyst]

I. I get involved in some sort of way. Yeah, that's usually how they operate too. It's like. Exactly.

[S. Baraheny]

Get a couple picks and then you have the Kaminga side of that, where, you know, the reports that came out about the sign and trade and, and the Hawks don't have to do anything with that, but maybe.

[Guest Analyst]

Right.

[S. Baraheny]

That gets in the mix somewhere. I don't know.

[Guest Analyst]

But do you think he. Kaminga makes sense for this team if they were.

[S. Baraheny]

No. Yeah. I, I didn't think, besides that kind of burst that he had in those first three games that he played, it just. You could kind of see that he didn't quite fit. Yeah, his, his athleticism was amazing, but it just. They're just like little things that you just kind of. What are you doing? I don't know if this, this fits long term and the style. And then you also have to think about some of the things that maybe he's asking for, which is like starter minutes and Jalen and so he's not going to play the three. And they have a lot of depth at the three with Dyson, Risa Shay, Corey Kispert and Wiggins Carter. Like, there's just a lot of Wayne depth. So it's like, where does he sort of fit? And he, he can't shoot as well as they need him to. Like, he had his moments where he was knocking stuff down, but not as consistently as, you know, a Quinn Snyder system wants.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

So, yeah, kind of going back to the Eastern Conference, the rest of the East. Crystal ball. If you had to put a crystal ball in and say the Eastern Conference champion next year will be. And you guys can both answer this, whatever you guys want.

[Dave DeFore]

Eastern, my answer is easy right now. New York Knicks.

[Guest Analyst]

Okay.

[Dave DeFore]

I just feel they, they were the. We saw them be the best team in the playoffs. They brought everybody back except for Mitch.

[Guest Analyst]

Mitch is a big loss.

[Dave DeFore]

It's a big loss. They're gonna. I think they're gonna be okay. And I mean, the biggest one's Shamet.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

You know, Shamet's gonna be able to contribute the way he did for them late in the season. If he could do that all year, they're gonna have an easier regular season than they had last year. So I, I still, I say the Knicks.

[S. Baraheny]

Okay, well, my pick for Eastern Conference finals is probably right now as things are Philly, New York.

[Guest Analyst]

Philly, New York. So you like this? You like what the Sixers have done this season?

[S. Baraheny]

I think it's gonna be interesting. Obviously, I think a lot of it still hinges on Embiid's health, but I also think watching how Jalen Brown was able to sort of rally.

[Dave DeFore]

Yes.

[S. Baraheny]

The, the Celtics with so many players who were still developing and he's able to sort of be a conduit for coaches messaging and, and for like regular season wins. Yeah, for. I, I just think it's a lot of mouths to feed obviously with him. Edgecom Maxi. But I also think that all three of those guys are unselfish enough that they'll figure out how to, to make that work.

[Dave DeFore]

So that's not a problem. In the playoffs. Every playoffs, for every team that fails, we always say they need one more guy. They get one more ball hand.

[Guest Analyst]

Absolutely.

[Dave DeFore]

One more something. You know, I'm glad you brought up Jalen Brown because Atlanta is one of the teams that for years we, we thought Jalen Brown destination Jalen Brown was available. I mean, I'm assuming that they kick the tires.

[S. Baraheny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

On this deal. How come they weren't the Jalen Brown team?

[S. Baraheny]

So Auntie Soleil has often said he doesn't think they're one player away yet.

[Dave DeFore]

Sure.

[S. Baraheny]

I think that, you know, they're still developing so much. They're still figuring out the found like they, they just figured out the foundation, I think last year. Yeah. And then obviously the adding of three under 25 year olds to the mix kind of pushes the timeline back. And that I think too he looks at, he loves to use the word optionality. You know, a Jalen Brown contract would just kind of maybe.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

It's $70 million.

[Discover/Aura Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

It's a little bit harder to work

[S. Baraheny]

with less flexibility for them to kind of.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[S. Baraheny]

You know, make other deals work. So I think they'll, they want to figure out what this group can do now. And then I think maybe in a couple years you start seeing them push their chips to the middle of the table.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean I was shocked.

[Guest Analyst]

They have picks. I mean they have picks, they have future picks.

[S. Baraheny]

I mean I. That was a big thing that, you know, they were trying to do over these last couple of years since the, you know, Murray trade is reacquire draft assets and it's worked out.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, it did pretty well.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

All right. Well, that's gonna do it for the show. Everybody go and read Lauren at the Atlanta Journal Constitution. For Esperahenny and Lauren Williams, I'm Dave Dufour. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us. Thanks for listening.

[Discover/Aura Advertiser]

Make sure you hit the subscribe or

[Dave DeFore]

Follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed it, drop a like, leave a rating or let us know in the comments. Thank you guys for waking up with us.

[Discover/Aura Advertiser]

It's smart to always have a few financial goals and a really smart one. You can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover you can get this Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. After all, you listen to this show see [e-mail] creditcard Oregon parks make an Oregon Summer.

[Lauren Williams]

But what makes an Oregon park? Well, Oregon Lottery Gameplay helps no matter the game Megabucks, video lottery or keno funds from lottery games help support parks priority projects across the state, ensuring they stay safe, accessible and open for all. In fact, Discover State Park, Scratch it are in stores now. It's the perfect way to put a little bit of Oregon's parks in your pocket. The Oregon Lottery Together we do good things. Must be 18 or older to play. Lottery games are based on chance and should be played for entertainment only.

[Discover/Aura Advertiser]

Most people don't realize how much of their personal information is being bought and sold every day. Data brokers are making billions, pulling details about you from public records and the Internet, then packaging and selling it, usually without your consent. That's how your information lands in the hands of scammers, spammers, even stalkers. It's why you get endless robocalls and why ads seem to follow you everywhere. That's where Aura comes in. Aura actively removes your data from broker sites and keeps it off. They also instantly alert you if your information shows up in a breach or on the dark web. But Aura goes beyond data protection. With one app, you get a vpn, antivirus, password manager, spam call protection, dark web monitoring, and even up to $5 million in identity theft insurance, all backed by 24. 7 US based fraud support. Other companies might sell just credit monitoring or just a vpn. Aura gives you all of it together at the same price. Competitors charge for just one service. Start your free trial today at aura.com safety protect yourself [e-mail] safety.