One would think that for a professional sports franchise the offseason would be a time for rest and recovery. A welcome reprieve from the grind of the regular season and the non-stop sprint that is the playoffs. Not so for the Atlanta Hawks, who following their most successful season in team history have now embarked on what may be their busiest offseason ever.
On Wednesday the league approved the sale a new ownership group, headed by billionaire Tony Ressler, which includes former NBA star Grant Hill, Spanx founder and Atlanta native Sara Blakely and her husband, Marquis Jet co-founder Jesse Itzler. The change comes as a relief for Hawks fans, most of whom grew exasperated with the incompetence displayed by the former ownership group Atlanta Spirit. The sale finalized at about $850 million, and includes control of downtown Atlanta’s Philips Arena.
Rumors during the ownership search that the team could possibly move out of the city have seemingly cooled off, and it remains to be seen how many incentives Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, (a noted Hawks fan) will offer the new ownership as it looks to renovate Philips Arena. The Mayor indicated early in the process that the city would be willing to spend money to make sure the Hawks remained in the city; now that that’s no longer an issue it remains to be seen what sort of package the city can spare from an already stressed budget.
Said NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a press release on the ownership move – “We are pleased that the NBA’s Board of Governors has approved the purchase of the Atlanta Hawks by principal owner Tony Ressler. Tony and his diverse and experienced ownership group will bring tremendous energy and passion to the Hawks and the team and its fans will greatly benefit from their commitment to the Atlanta community.”
Earlier in the month, the team announced that it would be parting ways with General Manager Danny Ferry, who was at the center of a scandal during the 2014 offseason for telling team officials during a scouting report session that free agent Luol Deng had “some African in him”. The comments elicited backlash nationwide, and Ferry was put on indefinite leave while the team he constructed went on to win 60 games and secure the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Many believed that he would be welcomed back by a new ownership wanting to continue his streak of recent success, but it was announced last week that he would be let go and that head coach Mike Budenholzer would be named President of Basketball Operations. Wes Wilcox, assistant GM under Ferry, was promoted to General Manager.
Finally and most superficially, the team announced on Wednesday its new uniforms, which since have been a hot topic in NBA circles for their gaudy design and vibrant colors. The reveal was accompanied by mixed reviews, but nobody can say that the team didn’t make a splash with its rebranding.
The NBA draft last night was almost an afterthought in the midst of all the drama, but the Hawks were certainly in attendance, swapping the 15th overall pick for the 19th overall pick, (and two 2nd round picks) and subsequently trading that pick for New York Knick Tim Hardaway Jr. The move has puzzled and infuriated many Hawks fans, but that is a different story for a different day.
