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The Atlanta Hawks will enter free agency with approximately $43 million in salary cap space and, as a result, myriad possibilities exist for the franchise. It isn’t likely that Travis Schlenk, Tony Ressler and company can entice the likes of Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard to sign on the dotted line but, in the same breath, the Hawks should absolutely attempt to secure a meeting with the best of the best, if only to lay out the organizational vision that they’ve worked hard to construct in recent months.
While Durant and Leonard are unquestionably the top players on the free agent, there are other options and, on Tuesday, the good folks at BetOnline.ag released some interesting odds on where some players will play the first game of the 2019-20 regular season. The Hawks didn’t make the cut for odds with Durant, Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Khris Middleton or even a trade target in Anthony Davis, but Atlanta was mentioned in conjunction with Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Sixers forward Tobias Harris.
It is important to note that the Hawks were listed as the biggest long-shot for both players, landing at 16-1 in the betting market. Beyond that, these future wagering opportunities are designed with the intent to lure action and, well, they aren’t always based on serious intelligence from within the NBA community. Still, it is noteworthy that Atlanta would be mentioned, particularly given the fact that the organization enjoyed an encouraging step forward behind Trae Young, John Collins and Kevin Huerter this season.
Thompson is seen as very likely to return to Golden State and, at the age of 29, he is significantly older than other members of Atlanta’s core. Still, it is hard to ignore the connection between Thompson and Schlenk from their time with the Warriors and, simply put, Thompson would fit anywhere with his combination of elite shooting and strong on-ball defense.
As for Harris, he is closer to the age range that Atlanta would ideally target, turning 27 in July, and there could be some appeal in his skill set. After all, Harris did average 20.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game between his stints with the Clippers and Sixers, with 39.7 percent three-point shooting to boot. However, Harris isn’t a perfect fit with the Hawks in that his best position might be power forward and, on the defensive end, he isn’t a dominant force by any means. Throw in the potential that the Sixers would pay handsomely to keep him in Philadelphia (after trading a large haul to acquire him) and the situation becomes less intriguing.
Realistically, the Hawks are listed with the longest odds for both players (see below) for a reason and there are other ways to spend the $40+ million in cap space. Still, it is probably a win for the organization to even gain entry into the discussions for max-level free agents and, by proxy, that is happening to some degree.
Here are the full odds for Thompson, Harris and the rest of the top-tier options, with the notable exception of the enigma that is Kyrie Irving.
Tobias Harris
Philadelphia 76ers 2/3
Brooklyn Nets 3/1
Dallas Mavericks 6/1
Los Angeles Lakers 6/1
Sacramento Kings 8/1
Utah Jazz 10/1
Indiana Pacers 12/1
Memphis Grizzlies 14/1
Atlanta Hawks 16/1
Klay Thompson
Golden State Warriors 1/5
Brooklyn Nets 3/1
Dallas Mavericks 6/1
LA Lakers 6/1
Sacramento Kings 8/1
Utah Jazz 10/1
Indiana Pacers 12/1
Memphis Grizzlies 14/1
Atlanta Hawks 16/1
Kevin Durant
New York Knicks 6/5
LA Clippers 17/10
Golden State Warriors 2/1
LA Lakers 6/1
Brooklyn Nets 6/1
Oklahoma City Thunder 40/1
Kawhi Leonard
Toronto Raptors 2/3
LA Clippers 3/2
LA Lakers 4/1
Brooklyn Nets 6/1
New York Knicks 10/1
Anthony Davis
LA Lakers 1/1
Boston Celtics 2/1
New Orleans Pelicans 2/1
New York Knicks 4/1
Jimmy Butler
Philadelphia 76ers 1/2
New York Knicks 6/1
Brooklyn Nets 8/1
LA Lakers 8/1
LA Clippers 8/1
Houston Rockets 9/1
Chicago Bulls 10/1
Miami Heat 12/1
Kemba Walker
Charlotte Hornets 1/1
LA Lakers 3/2
New York Knicks 4/1
Dallas Mavericks 4/1
LA Clippers 10/1
Chicago Bulls 14/1
D’Angelo Russell
Brooklyn Nets 1/4
Dallas Mavericks 3/1
New York Knicks 4/1
Chicago Bulls 10/1
LA Clippers 12/1
Khris Middleton
Milwaukee Bucks 1/5
Dallas Mavericks 4/1
Anthony Davis
Los Angeles Lakers 1/1
Boston Celtics 2/1
New Orleans Pelicans 2/1
New York Knicks 4/1