The Atlanta Hawks didn’t just hire another scout or a capologist this week. They went and grabbed a guy who spent years reporting on the teams they’re trying to beat.
Tim Bontemps, the ESPN senior writer who covered the NBA since 2012, is joining the Hawks as a strategic advisor. The news broke via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst, Bontemps’ co-hosts on The Hoop Collective podcast. It’s a move that says Atlanta is serious about gathering every kind of intelligence it can — not just on the floor, but in the front office.
Bontemps spent the last six years at ESPN, and before that he was the national NBA writer for The Washington Post. His beat was team strategy, player movement, and league-wide trends. Basically, the guy spent a decade figuring out why front offices make the moves they do. Now he gets to sit in one.
What Bontemps Brings That the Hawks Don’t Have
Most front offices are filled with former coaches, agents, or analytics guys. Bontemps is a reporter. That means he’s spent years talking to agents, other executives, and league insiders about what works and what doesn’t. He’s seen the chess match from the press row. Now he gets to help move the pieces.
The Hawks were already having a busy offseason before this hire. They re-signed CJ McCollum and Jock Landale, both of whom gave Atlanta solid minutes down the stretch and helped secure the No. 6 seed in the East. McCollum was a steadying presence. Landale provided size and hustle. Keeping them was a no-brainer.
Then there were the trades. Atlanta grabbed Aaron Wiggins from the Thunder, a flexible wing who should fit nicely off the bench. They also brought in Devin Carter from the Kings to add to their guard rotation. Neither move was flashy, but both fill specific needs.
Draft Picks and the Long View
The Hawks added three rookies in the NBA Draft, and those guys have already been turning heads in the Salt Lake City Summer League. Nobody’s saying they’ll be rotation players on opening night. But the organization is clearly trying to walk a tightrope — compete now while stockpiling young talent to develop for later.
That plan worked last season. The Hawks avoided the play-in entirely and made a real playoff push. The hope in Atlanta is that Bontemps can help refine that approach, maybe give the front office a broader perspective on how other teams are building.
It’s not a hire that moves the Vegas odds. But it might move the needle in ways that show up two or three years from now. The Hawks are betting that a guy who spent years studying league trends can spot the next one before it happens.
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