Why LeBron James to the 76ers isn’t a bad thing for the Hawks

It’s not every day that “Overcome the Hawks” makes the to-do list of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, but this is a profitable development for coach Quin Snyder and his band. James’ return to the Eastern Conference may make the season more challenging for the Hawks, but what matters most is not where they finish in the East in 2027, but how this affects their progression toward becoming a championship team.

And to that end, having more competition is beneficial, even if the record suffers. It will only serve to sharpen the Hawks through more strenuous regular-season competition that provides a clearer picture of where they stand.

The 76ers aren’t blocking the Hawks’ path to the NBA Finals, because there is almost no chance they can get there this upcoming season. What Philadelphia could be doing, though, is providing the resistance necessary to help them become a Finals-worthy club two or three (or four) years from now.

At least as constituted, the 76ers do not figure to be impediments by that point. James is 41. Brown, acquired from Boston, is 29. Seven-time All-Star Joel Embiid is 32.

By comparison, the key members of the Hawks’ core – Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker – are 24, 23 and 27, respectively.

This is like the value of the Hawks’ playoff meltdown against the eventual champion New York Knicks. Losing the final three games by a combined 96 points showed president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh, Snyder and the entire roster how much further they had to go. It highlighted weaknesses in depth, defensive fortitude and in the frontcourt.

After the playoff loss, a number of Hawks players made gaining strength and weight their top priority of the offseason. That might not have happened, or at least been as clear an imperative, without getting roughed up by the Knicks’ OG Anunoby and his fellow bullies.

Pairing the mighty (if geriatric) James with Brown will help compel the Hawks to become the efficient defensive unit they clearly aspire to be, and that can only pay dividends. (Lu Dort, acquired by the Hawks from Oklahoma City in a trade that sent former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas, is a former All-Defensive team wing.)

It isn’t only the 76ers, either. The Knicks, one of five teams that finished ahead of the Hawks in the East (along with Detroit, Boston, Cleveland and Toronto), aren’t going anywhere.

The Celtics lost Brown but regain All-NBA fixture Jayson Tatum after he missed nearly the entire season with a torn Achilles. Toronto looks like a championship contender after trading for two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

And the 76ers aren’t the only team that finished behind the Hawks that could pass them. Indiana, which made the NBA Finals in 2025, figures to be a problem again as star Tyrese Haliburton returns from his Achilles tear.

How much Giannis Antetokounmpo, traded from Milwaukee to Miami, helps the Heat remains to be seen. There isn’t a whole lot around him.

There are always unexpected variables and the Hawks should be a better team after remaking the roster on the fly and finishing with their best record (46-36) since the 2020-21 season. Besides Dort, the Hawks also traded for another rotation piece from the powerhouse Thunder, guard Aaron Wiggins.

“Think they’ve improved,” an NBA scout, offered anonymity to speak freely about a rival club, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a text message. “Like their additions. Winners that fit the identity. May not completely show up in win total with others also improving in the (East).”

The Hawks might be pressed to stay out of the Play-in Tournament after finally escaping it this past season.

It wouldn’t be ideal. But for a team that has to get better, playing in a rigorous conference would be to their long-term advantage.

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