This young and vibrant Atlanta Hawks team chooses to play chess while the rest play checker. Many speculated the Hawks would make a move, but to contrary belief, they didn’t make one, not two, but zero moves at the trade deadline.
On Jan. 10, the Hawks made a deal that seemed very calculated. They traded former lottery pick, Cam Reddish for Kevin Knox and a protected first-round draft pick leading fans to believe an exciting trade deadline was heading their way on Feb. 10.
The front office had two choices at the deadline. Ride with the current roster or trade away assets for a player that could push them over the hump.
Until the last couple of hours of the trade deadline, there was still a plethora of talent available for the Hawks to make a move on. Ben Simmons, Myles Turner and Jerami Grant were all still hadn’t been dealt, but they didn’t bite on any one of those guys or anybody at all for that matter.
Since the deadline, the Hawks have looked moderately the same: a top-ranked offensive team with a low-rated defense.
Whether or not the Hawks should have made a trade at the deadline is a complicated question. They have a group full of young guys who seem to mesh together well.
Acquiring a new piece believed to be the missing link could’ve hurt the chemistry between players and been very detrimental to the team’s long-term success.
Nonetheless, it can’t go unstated how badly this team needs rejuvenation on the defensive end.
As great as Trae Young is, he needs help defending elite guards.
Bringing in Ben Simmons could have been a great addition as he can push the pace on offense while guarding the opposing team’s best player.
Nevertheless, would the pairing of a poor shooting Simmons with another poor shooter in Capela realistically be what this offense needs right now? Would those guys have made sense together on the floor?
Jerami Grant also could’ve been a great addition to this team. He’s only 27 years old and has become way more than the previous three-and-D guy he was in the past.
Last season with the Detroit Pistons, he averaged 22.3 ppg and provided great defense around the perimeter, where he often guarded many forwards.
The Hawks have the assets to make a trade happen but chose not to. With Grant out due to injury, the question arises: why trade young assets for an injured player?
According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the Hawks were in talks with the Portland Trailblazers in hopes of trading for CJ McCollum.
Whether this trade would’ve been a good fit for the Hawks leaves many scratching their heads. Atlanta needs defense, and McCollum doesn’t necessarily scream “ball, ball, ball!”
He brings excellent shot-creating and a veteran presence to the team. He definitely would’ve been able to help Young out with the offense.
What does the front office consider the “next level” for the Hawks? That’s where many fans believe executives brought the conversation for a trade to an abrupt hold.
They did go all the way to the eastern conference finals last year, losing 4-2 to the eventual NBA champions in the Milwaukee Bucks.
Whether or not the Hawks needed to make a trade at the deadline is up for debate. With about a fourth of the season left to go, only time will tell if the Hawks not making a move at the deadline helped or hindered their season.
