"There was a time when the Hawks were all about the promise of youth.

Eventually, draft picks such as Josh Smith and Al Horford started to reach their potential, and the Hawks added more veterans. The Hawks won more games, began to pick later and later in the draft and management and coaches turned their focus away from acquiring prospects and developing them.

The Hawks still are winning, but now say they are ready to make room for youngsters again.

The Hawks don't have a first-round pick in the draft Thursday, so it's doubtful they will select a player to fill a major role next season. But the prospect they select with the No. 48 pick is expected to get a spot on the roster and a chance to at least be a minor contributor.

"What you have to weigh is, if we take a collegiate player and he is put in the same situation as Josh Powell or Etan Thomas, could they do as well or better?" Hawks assistant general manager Dave Pendergraft said.

The Hawks signed Powell and Thomas as free agents last summer. Powell, 28, was in and out of coach Larry Drew's rotation, and Thomas, 32, appeared in 13 regular-season games and one postseason game.

The team's finances and circumstances make it more likely that the last few roster spots will be filled by younger players in 2011-12.

The Hawks have only nine players under contract next season (seven guaranteed) and little flexibility under the current salary-cap rules. Also, three veteran rotation players have contracts that expire soon: Kirk Hinrich after 2010-11 and Smith and Zaza Pachulia after 2012-13.

Developing young players can provide the team cheaper options for its rotation in the future. The Hawks traded Jordan Crawford, their 2010 first-round pick, along with this year's first-round pick, but they still have some options."