The Hawks introduced Tim Hardaway Jr. to assembled media at Philips Arena Monday. Hardaway expressed his pleasure with the trade to the Hawks from the New York Knicks.
"I am happy to be here," Hardaway said. "Obviously the Atlanta Hawks and this organization did a great job last season, making it as far as they could in the playoffs, and I'm just happy to be a part of that."
While the Hawks may not have any rookie draft picks on their roster next season, there are at least four excellent reasons to be excited about Hardaway joining the Hawks.
1) The Hawks had a lot of depth in 2014-15, but beyond Kyle Korver, shooting guard was their least deep position last season.
To be sure, shooting guards and small forwards are nearly interchangeable in Mike Budenholzer's offense, but when Kyle Korver wasn't on the floor things ran differently and not always to the Hawks' benefit. Players like Thabo Sefolosha, Kent Bazemore and DeMarre Carroll thrived in a wonderfully efficient manner as secondary threats, cutting to the hoop and spotting up from the weak side but filling more of a small forward role in the offense.
At times, the Hawks used two point guards together to get Korver rest. Either way, the Hawks missed having a first-option wing on the ball without him.
To hear Hardaway and Budenholzer tell it, the coach will use the guard more as a primary threat. "I can come off screens and make plays for others," Hardaway said.
"Tim (has the) ability to make shots in different situations," Budenholzer said. "Whether it's coming off screens or spotting up, the more shotmakers you have, the more difficult you are to guard."
Hardaway made 41.1% of his three-point attempts from the left wing last season, and 37.8% of them from the right wing. He can make shots in all manner of ways, and Budenholzer referenced his days at the University of Michigan as evidence of the variety of ways he can score in a well-spaced offense.
If it all works to plan, then Hardaway should be able to afford some extra rest to Korver, who will turn 35 near the end of next season.
2) Hardaway is only 23 years old.
A handful of the players chosen in last Thursday's NBA Draft are actually older than Hardaway is.
It feels like Hardaway would be older, because he has been an impact rotation player in the NBA for a pair of seasons, but in reality, Hardaway is a young talent waiting to be molded and taught, and the Hawks feel like they have the player development system to do it.
"(We added) depth at the wing with a 6-foot-6 shooting guard with athleticism and the ability to make shots," Budenholzer said. "As we integrate him into our system of player development, we feel like we have a great young player that's going to add to our team now."
"His abilities are a great starting point," he added. "Now we're refining and adding to his game."
3) The Hawks have a bit of an injury situation.
Both Sefolosha and Korver are spending their summers recovering from leg surgeries, and their recovery times line up closely with the start of the season.
The Hawks wanted Hardaway regardless of their health situation.
"If both of those guys were perfectly healthy going into the summer, we would make the same decision," Budenholzer said.
But at the same time, Budenholzer was happy to have a backup plan with NBA experience in hand. "If for some reason those guys maybe take a little bit longer," he added, "then it's great to know we have someone who has played in NBA games and shown an ability to contribute."
4) The Hawks didn't compromise any of their cap space.
The #1 priority for the Hawks headed into the offseason was to sign unrestricted free agents Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll. The Hawks are currently under the salary cap, and keeping cap room will optimize their chances at keeping Millsap and Carroll. This trade won't hurt those aspirations at all.
In fact, by trading for Hardaway, the Hawks actually gained cap room with the move.
"We actually created a tiny bit more cap space by doing this (trade), which is something that we value," Budenholzer said. "We feel like we got the best of both worlds. We got a really good player, and even though it's not a huge number, we created more space. It's kind of a win-win."
Budenholzer also said that making Atlanta a destination for free agents begins with taking care of their own.
"The thing that is most important is that we prioritize keeping our players and that we treat our players with great care," he said. "And that everybody wants to be here and it starts with our current players. They will spread the word, if you will, and they will let others know that this is a place you want to play and that this should be a destination city and a destination organization."
Story by KL ChouinardTwitter: @AnaheimAmigos