Who stays and who goes: Analysing the Hawks roster ahead of NBL free agency

While many expected the Hawks would be entering it with new coach at the helm, the incredible Justin Tatum interim-come-head-coach story that gripped the league over the latter half of the season now sees the foundation club looking at going one or more better rather than rebuilding.

After falling to Melbourne in game three of the semi-final series, Tatum expressed a desire to see the entire roster return for his first full season in charge. Such statements are often grounded more in sentimentality than reality, but how realistic is it as far as the 2025 Hawks are concerned?

Very, according to general manager Mat Campbell, who's charged with bringing it about.

"It is unusual in professional sport, certainly in our league, where you have an opportunity to retain a majority of, if not all of the roster, but it was a unique year," Campbell said.

"It was a real growth year for the whole group and we were potentially an inbound [pass] away from being in a grand final series.

"It showed that we can be competitive and it's a good young group that embraced the way they played. I think continuing to allow them to develop as a group is important.

"From when JT took over, almost every game was like a finals game because we pretty much had to win every game to make the finals from that time. The pressure of that didn't allow the group to organically just grow.

"I think more time with the same group would allow some fine tuning of that style and potentially put us in an even better situation throughout the year."

Campbell said Tatum hasn't deviated from his stated goal of making retention, more than recruitment, his chief priority.

"I think he's really happy with the way the group came together and the way that they played for him," Campbell said.

"He has a level of confidence in the way that they handled their roles, but also in the way that they played when they were on the floor.

"The way the season played out for us, you got to see the best of people in high-pressure environments and there was a lot to like about the way we competed, especially when the chips were down.

"I think of those two home losses we had in the only little breathing spot we had in the whole season. Then to go over and win the next game in Perth, which was a must win, showed the character of the team and the way they played under Justin Tatum.

"We're very, very happy with the quality of the players, but not only just the quality of their basketball, the quality of people that they are and how they represented the Illawarra Hawks."

There's no doubt the Hawks roster will look very similar to the one that reached the final four, purely on the number of players on multi-year deals.

It includes skipper Sam Froling, veterans Todd Blanchfield and Mason Peatling, young gun Lachlan Olbrich and fan favourite Dan Grida.

Korean sharpshooter Hyunjung Lee is also on a multi-year deal, while the club has an option of the services of the club's newest cult figure Will Hickey.

It leaves Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Next Star AJ Johnson and injury replacement Kyle Adnam the non-import players off-contract.

The depth of the returning roster will naturally see most attention turn to import spots, chiefly whether the Hawks can retain the services of All-NBL First Team star Gary Clark and skipper Tyler Harvey. Multi-year deals for both would be the club's ideal scenario.

Where they land is the biggest of many questions surrounding the Hawks ahead of free agency.

The former NBA big-man looked to be going down the path of import bust when he first arrived and struggled to adjust to the NBL.

When he did, though, there was simply no stopping him. In a league where offense hinges so heavily on creating mismatches, Clark is a match-up nightmare.

Too slick, and capable from deep, to be effectively guarded by bigs, and too strong and powerful for most wings to handle, the North Carolina native averaged 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists on the season.

Off the court, Clark's spoken openly about his love affair with the city of Wollongong having embraced its picturesque surrounds and culinary scene, while also carrying out community work with the Lighthouse Church.

Speaking ahead of the playoffs, Clark told the Mercury he'd "sign the paper today" if his management and the club can reach an agreement. That's easier said than done given the demand for his services both in the NBL and abroad.

The Hawks remain in talks with his management, with the front office quietly confident they will retain Clark should he and his management elect to remain in the NBL. Whether it can compete with offers throughout Europe and Asia is another question.

"We're in negotiations with his agent about returning, as we have been for quite some time," Campbell said.

"Obviously him playing so well at the back end of the season and into the finals has created opportunities for him to explore, but we're confident we've got a really competitive offer on the table."

The club's also working toward a multi-year deal that would keep its captain in Wollongong, where the previously well-travelled 30-year-old has laid down solid roots in Wollongong and has a burning desire to bring a title to the city.

It'd be easy to be howled down - of course Melvin Thomas' jersey hangs in the WEC rafters - but Harvey has entered the conversation as to the best import the club has had when weighing all the factors.

Runner-up in MVP voting in his first season, Harvey was the type of import Hawks fans have become accustomed to losing after a single season. Harvey instead went all in on Wollongong, inking a three-year deal to push his tenure out to four seasons.

The Hawks have finished in the final four in three of those campaigns, while he well and truly emptied the tank in a dismal year on the team front last season.

The intriguing aspect of his future is whether a bid for Australian citizenship is successful. It's a famously convoluted process - just ask Bryce Cotton - but if Harvey does secure it, he would shift immediately to a domestic roster spot, freeing up an import slot.

That could happen in-season next year and, if he is locked down on a multi-year contract, would see him plying his trade in the Gong alongside three imports.

Having carried the franchise through multiple seasons, one can only imagine how that level of support would unlock the former NCAA Division I leading scorer.

The smart money would be on him staying but it's not fait accompli given he'll attract no shortage of interest from NBL rivals should he go to free agency.

As it stands the 26-year-old looks at long odds to return next season.

Club and player showed a large degree of mutual faith to see him stay with the organisation after a season-ending knee injury kept him to just one game in his first year in Wollongong.

A thoroughly likeable character, Robinson's season saw glimpses of his class and pedigree - most notably his 26 points, four rebounds, three assists at a perfect 14-14 from the line in his side's sudden death finals clash with New Zealand - but his campaign was plagued by inconsistency.

It saw him redeployed by Tatum as part of the second unit where he proved effective. It was smart on-the-run adjustment, but it's not the type of role a club can afford to burn an import spot for, let alone at point-guard.

The door may be slightly ajar for a return, but the club won't be making any move until the future of Clark and Harvey or, should they not return, the two import spots they leave open, are determined.

The livewire guard went from riding the pine to Tatum's post-season starting unit in a remarkable year.

His dogged competitiveness and bottomless energy at both ends of the floor have made him beloved in the eyes of the Hawks faithful, and indispensable in those of Tatum.

Now a proven finals performer, the 24-year-old will have no shortage of NBL suitors should he go to free agency, but that appears unlikely, with the club all but certain to take up its option on his services.

It may well be facing a fan revolt if it doesn't, but the option of extending his contract beyond next season is also an option on the table.

He had his moments - a dunk of the year candidate on Brisbane skyscraper Rocco Zikarsky the highlight - but AJ Johnson enjoyed only sparing time on the floor this season.

It would depend on the broader make-up of the roster, but Campbell said the club will consider all options the NBL's rapidly expanding program puts on its table.

"We're considering another Next Star," Campbell said.

"The idea of getting an extra player that can help you win is certainly something that's appealing to the club and we'll continue to look at that process as the NBL offers up prospects."

Under contract: Sam Froling, Mason Peatling, Todd Blanchfield, Lachlan Olbrich, Hyunjung Lee, Will Hickey (club option), Dan Grida.

Off-contract: Gary Clark, Tyler Harvey, Justin Robinson, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, AJ Johnson, Kyle Adnam