Under normal circumstances, a 53-111 record in two seasons would not foster a sense of optimism for an NBA franchise.
But the Atlanta Hawks have built a foundation with John Collins, Kevin Huerter and Trae Young that defies normal circumstances.
The Hawks' next step in rebuilding starts with the 2019 NBA draft on June 20 and resumes 10 days later with the start of free agency.
Let's look ahead to the decisions facing this franchise, including how to find value with multiple draft picks and the best way to use max cap space.
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The value of the draft: six picks in the top 45
For a second consecutive June, the Hawks will have the opportunity to reshape their roster through the draft. Not only does Atlanta -- with the eighth and 10th overall selections -- become the fourth team since 2011 to have two picks in the top 10, joining Cleveland (2011), New Orleans (2012) and Phoenix (2016 and 2018). But the Hawks also have Brooklyn's pick at No. 17 and open the second round with three selections (No. 35, No. 41 and No. 44).
Because the trade with Brooklyn cannot be finalized until July 6, the Nets will be making the selection for the Hawks in the first round.
Now with four weeks until draft night, general manager Travis Schlenk and his staff will conduct workouts, have a thorough check on background and rely on their personnel department for game and practice evaluations.
What comes out of the draft preparation is a long list of questions this front office will have to ask itself:
Can this roster sustain an additional six draft picks?
Is there a comfort level keeping picks Nos. 8, 10 and 17?
Do we draft on best available or need in the first round?
Can we package one or both lottery picks to acquire an All-NBA level player who has years left on his contract?
What is the cost of moving into the top three, and is it worth it?
Should we move one of the three first-rounders for multiple future first-rounders?
Is it worth exploring packaging all three second-rounders and moving into the 20s? What is the drop-off in talent from the late first to early second round?
Do we trade Nos. 41 and 44 for future second-rounders?
Expect the Hawks to exhaust every option until they have to make their selections.
Enter the free-agent ring or continue building up assets?
Although they finished a second consecutive season with one of the worst records in the league, the second step of Atlanta's rebuild can be deemed a success: The Hawks improved in the win column by five games and have reason to believe that each player progressed throughout the season.
Head coach Lloyd Pierce -- whose time with the Philadelphia 76ers highlights his expertise in player development -- enters the offseason with a foundation of young players, draft assets and cap flexibility to build upon for the foreseeable future.
The Hawks -- who have eight players on rookie deals -- are poised to have significant cap space yet again. That flexibility on top of last season's progress could tempt Atlanta to accelerate the rebuild that began in the summer of 2017.
Here is a breakdown on what direction Atlanta can choose in the offseason:
1. Follow the script from 2017 and 2018
The Hawks have not been shy about their approach with cap space the past two summers. Instead of chasing big-name free agents, Atlanta has taken a realistic approach to its roster and turned flexibility into draft assets. It turned the $38 million owed to Jamal Crawford and Carmelo Anthony into two first-round picks.
That same approach continued when Atlanta agreed to take on the $18.5 million Allen Crabbe contract. In exchange the Hawks gain two valuable first-round picks.
With cap space now at $23.3 million, Atlanta still has the option to take back contracts or use the remaining room to bring back Dewayne Dedmon and strengthen the bench.
2. Accelerate the rebuild at the cost of flexibility
Schlenk has made it known he will not take a reckless approach with cap space for the sake of incremental gains. Since taking over in 2017, Schlenk has signed only four free agents to more than the minimum exception: Mike Muscala, Dewayne Dedmon, Ersan Ilyasova and Alex Len.
None of the contracts exceeded more than two years and $6 million per year in salary. Don't expect the Hawks to follow this path and spend big unless it's on a transcendent, All-Star-level talent (an unlikely scenario).
3. Continue the development with an eye toward 2020 (or 2021)
Because Atlanta is projected to have eight players on rookie contracts, the window to use cap space is open for the foreseeable future.
If Young, Collins and Huerter continue to develop, the Hawks can tout their young core and 2019 lottery picks as a drawing card in 2020. By then, they could have a projected $80 million in room and still have half their roster under contract.
4. Use cap space to sign NBA veterans
With the fifth-youngest roster in the NBA last season comes the responsibility of signing veterans who are not only good for the locker room, but who can also contribute on the court. We saw that last year when the Hawks signed 42-year old Vince Carter. The Hawks could look to make a similar move with their space this time around.
Summer cap breakdown
Resources available to build the roster
The draft
Cash to receive in a trade
Cap space
Player development
$4.8 million room exception
Dates to watch, restrictions and extension candidates
• The Hawks will have until June 30 to make a $3.6 million qualifying offer to Justin Anderson. Acquired from Philadelphia as part of the Anthony trade, Anderson appeared in 48 games and played a sparing 9.6 minutes per game. If the offer is not extended, Anderson will become an unrestricted free agent in July.
• Former two-way player Jaylen Adams, who currently has $100,000 in salary protection, has a July 19 trigger date that would guarantee his $1.4 million contract.
• When the new salary-cap year begins July 1, the Hawks -- restricted by the acquisition of Jabari Bird from the Celtics -- will see the $3.2 in cash they are currently able to receive replenish to $5.6 million cash. Although they still have $5.2 million cash to send out in any trade, Schlenk has never sent out money in a transaction or bought a draft pick the night of the draft.
• The Hawks have three extension-eligible players in DeAndre' Bembry, Miles Plumlee and Kent Bazemore. Expect Atlanta to pass on a new contract for each player.
The draft assets
There is no team positioned better in the June draft than the Hawks. A year removed from having four picks, Atlanta has a league-high six draft selections, including two lottery picks, another first-rounder in the teens and three relatively high second-round picks.
With a roster that already has 10 players under contract (not including the three first-rounders), Atlanta can approach the second round like it did last year and choose to trade out. The team turned the 34th pick in the 2018 draft into two future second-rounders from Charlotte (2019 and 2023).
Here's how ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz have Atlanta picking in the 2019 draft:
No. 8 (own): Cam Reddish | F | Duke
No. 10 (via DAL): Jaxson Hayes | C | Texas
No. 17 (via BKN): Mfiondu Kabengele | FSU | C
No. 35 (own): Dylan Windler | SF | Belmont
No. 41 (via LAL): Chuma Okeke | SF/PF | Auburn
No. 44 (own): Deividas Sirvydis | SF | Lietuvos Rytas
Atlanta has three future first-round picks -- 2020 Cleveland (top-10 protected), 2020 Brooklyn (top-14 protected until 2022) and 2022 Oklahoma City (top-14 protected). The three first will turn into future second-round selections if not conveyed -- Cleveland (2021 and 2022), Brooklyn (2022 and 2024) and Oklahoma City (2024 and 2025).