Hawks don't expect wholesale changes this summer

The Atlanta Hawks cleaned out their lockers Monday afternoon but enter the offseason on a much different plane than over the last couple of seasons. The team has gone through a lot of changes since Danny Ferry came on board but with Mike Budenholzer and a core seemingly in place, a complete reshuffling of the roster isn't expected to take place this offseason.

"We've got a lot of areas where we can improve," said Budenholzer. "To add a player in the draft is something we always look forward to. And free agency is a place where we feel like we can add to our group and improve."

"We have a lot of guys coming back that started, played significant minutes, that are part of our core group. For the draft and for free agency, to have a group to add to is really helpful. Hopefully we've reached a stage where there's a group we feel great about that we can add to. It's kind of a different approach to this summer."

The Hawks have a core of Jeff Teague, Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver and will look to add pieces to that group this offseason. They will have some cap room and the No. 15 pick in what is a talent-rich 2014 Draft.

Which free agents will return?

Elton Brand just completed his 15th season in the NBA and admitted he would take some time before deciding to return for another. However, it doesn't sound like he was ready to hang up his sneakers just yet.

"I've been doing it for a long time and I love it," said Brand. "My body feels good. I didn't miss any games due to injury so as long as I could still compete and help out a team, hopefully this team, we'll see."

The Hawks signed Brand to a one-year deal worth $4 million. He's an unrestricted free agent and there will no doubt be several teams that would like to have him if he does decide to return.

The trio of Mike Scott, Shelvin Mack and Gustavo Ayon will all become restricted free agents as long as the team issues them qualifying offers. That seems like a slam dunk in the case of Mack and Scott who emerged as key rotation pieces. Issuing a qualifying offer gives the Hawks the right of first refusal to any offer sheet the player signs with another team.

For what it's worth, both Scott and Mack indicated that they would like to return to Atlanta next season.

Summer League

There will be some intrigue surrounding the Hawks' entry into the Las Vegas Summer League this July. Rookies Dennis Schröder and Mike Muscala will be there and presumedly so will 2013 first-round pick Lucas Nogueira. Atlanta has two picks in the 2014 draft and both could also be a part of the team. Third year guard John Jenkins is also slated to play as he battles back from back surgery.

It's an important summer for a lot of players but the spotlight shines a little brighter on Dennis Schröder, who began the year as the team's backup point guard before losing the job to Mack. Schröder showed some improvement but was never able to capture consistent playing time. Schröder told reporters during exit interviews that he had been approached by the German National Team about playing in this summer's FIBA World Cup. However, the team wants him to be in Las Vegas so that is where he is planning to be.

The Hard Work Begins

DeMarre Carroll was just one of the players who talked about starting to work on his game right away during the offseason. Many of them indicated that they would be staying around Atlanta and putting in time at Philips Arena. Carroll talked about improving his ball handling and joked about becoming the African-American version of Kyle Korver with his shooting.

Paul Millsap summed up the majority of the players plans with this statement:

Everyone loves playing for Coach Bud

Budenholzer and his staff drew universal praise from the players for their first season at the helm for the Hawks.

One last thing from Kyle Korver: