Vince Carter: Hawks Expect to Sign 2 of Bogdanovic, Gallinari, Rondo, Harris

The Atlanta Hawks are poised to have more financial flexibility than almost any other team in NBA free agency, and they reportedly won't be afraid to use it. 

Vince Carter reported Friday on The Jump (via ESPN's Tim MacMahon) the Hawks are "confident" about signing two players from a group that includes Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo and Joe Harris.

Spotrac estimates Atlanta to have $43.5 million in practical salary cap space, $3 million more than the next closest team, the New York Knicks. The Hawks and Knicks are the only two with more than $26 million available.

Atlanta has the means and the motivation to take a big step forward in 2020-21 despite finishing this past year with the Eastern Conference's second-worst record.

"This team is a playoff team and I told our guys today," head coach Lloyd Pierce said in March, per Peachtree Hoops' Brad Rowland and Zach Hood. "We're a playoff team. The guys in that room that will be back here understand that. Now it's about understanding what that means."

In the most recent edition of his Hoop Collective podcast, though, ESPN's Brian Windhorst discussed the Hawks with MacMahon and colleague Kevin Pelton and acknowledged the franchise only has so much to spend.

"There's a bunch of people who think Atlanta is going to be used as a stalking horse," Windhorst said around the 20:46 mark.

The Hawks have a foundational star in Trae Young and a solid core that includes John Collins, Clint Capela and 2020 first-round pick Onyeka Okongwu. A top-eight finish in the East isn't out of the question.

However, Atlanta has never been a major free-agent destination, and it will take more than one offseason for the team to turn into a title contender.

Free agency officially begins at 6 p.m. ET, so it won't be long before the Hawks' confidence is put to the test.