The Atlanta Hawks are attempting to walk the finest of lines in the NBA: two timelines.
Each of their four projected returning starters has no less than four years of experience while their bench has just two players with more experience than that – veterans Bogdan Bogdanovic and 2023 offseason acquisition Patty Mills.
This delicate balance is rarely successful for teams looking to contend as the Hawks presumably are given their rumored pursuit of a Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam.
But teams also cannot afford to simply part with all of their young, up-and-coming assets for proven ones, especially teams like the Hawks who, while being an Eastern Conference Finalist just two years ago, have been bounced out of the playoffs in the first round in back-to-back seasons.