Ranking Each of the Atlanta Hawks' Offseason Moves

Overshadowed by the likes of Dwight Howard, Ray Allen and Deron Williams, the Atlanta Hawks have quietly put together a very solid offseason.

How could this be possible, being that the face of their franchise will be playing for Brooklyn next season? It's simple really.

But you're going to have to click next to understand why and to hear more about the Hawks and what we can expect from a team hoping to finally jump over that hump of mediocrity.

By going out and acquiring a few above average players, in particular a shooting specialist, the Hawks hope to make the transition from the Johnson-era a smooth one.

Allowing Joe Johnson to Get Away

Joe Johnson has been the face of the Atlanta Hawks franchise since he arrived from Phoenix.

A bigger shooting guard who can seemingly score the ball with ease, Johnson has been deemed underrated by many fans of the game.

However, one thing that doesn't fly under the radar as easily is his massive contract. A contract Hawks fans and staff alike could never see themselves getting rid of. 

Yet, they were presented with the perfect opportunity and pounced on it immediately. Danny Ferry was not only able to ship Johnson and his contract out, but also bring in quality talent to replace him. 

Of course, a loss like this for the Hawks can be looked at extremely negatively. 

But on the other side of things, Ferry has positioned the Hawks to be major players in the 2013 free agency party, while also bringing in good players who can do some of same things that Johnson did during his tenure with the Hawks.

Acquisition of Lou Williams

Lou Williams was able to lead the Philadelphia 76ers in scoring while coming off the bench. 

He's efficient, dangerous off the dribble and possesses a pure jump shot that cannot go unguarded for too long.

Sounds a little bit like the guy I was talking about on the previous slide, no?

The truth of the matter is that Williams is a poor man's Joe Johnson. 

This is not a knock on Williams' game by any means, but clearly he is not on the superstar level like Johnson. 

However, what Williams can do is fill the scoring hole that Johnson left behind. 

Ultimately, he is a great pick up for the Hawks and will be relied on much more with them than he was with the 76ers. 

Acquisition of Devin Harris

The Hawks were able to acquire Devin Harris by shipping Marvin Williams to the Jazz. This trade should be good for both parties. 

Williams, drafted by the Hawks instead of both Chris Paul and Deron Williams, was just never able to find his groove in Atlanta. 

Meanwhile, Devin Harris, a few years removed from the discussion of some of the best point guards in the league, was severely struggling in Utah. 

That being said, Williams will pair up with Jeff Teague to make for a very speedy one-two punch at the point guard position for the Hawks. 

Harris is still a very solid basketball player with the ability to make plays on the offensive end and the ability to stay in front of some of the quicker guards in the league. 

He will also be able to mentor the younger guard, Teague, whose game is very similar to that of a younger Harris. 

Acquisition of Anthony Morrow

Anthony Morrow is one of the the best, yet most inconsistent, shooters in the league.

One game he'll go for 7-for-7 from the three-point line, only to shoot 2-for-14 in the following one. 

Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little bit. But the point is, it's hard to predict what you're going to get from Mr. Morrow on a daily basis. 

Nevertheless, Ferry and the Hawks decided to take a chance on him. 

This chance is a very low risk, high reward type of deal considering that Atlanta was able to pick him up in the same deal in which they had rid themselves of Johnson's contract. 

However, if they can get Morrow to start shooting the lights out, like we've seen do before on a consistent basis, Ferry will walk away from this one looking like a genius. 

The potential is definitely there for Morrow.

Acquisition of Kyle Korver

Sometimes, when referring to Kyle Korver amongst my friends I call him "Stretch" because he does just that: stretch the floor for the more athletic superstars he's usually on the floor with. 

After doing it so well in Chicago, he will now have a chance to further showcase his shooting abilities with Atlanta. 

He now finds himself on a roster filled with average shooters in guys like Jeff Teague, Josh Smith and Al Horford. 

There is no secret concerning what Ferry brought Korver on board to do and that's to shoot the three consistently to create lanes for Smith, Teague and even Williams. 

Maybe the acquisition of all these shooters will make it clear to Smith that he's not there to shoot the ball from anywhere beyond the arc or even the paint, to the liking of many Hawks fans I'm sure.