The Atlanta Hawks appear committed to Trae Young despite enduring a tumultuous 2022-23 campaign. Young has been subject to rumors since before the trade deadline as he had issues with the Hawks’ previous two head coaches, Lloyd Price and Nate McMillan. However, Young expressed confidence in new head coach Quin Snyder after the season ended.
“I mean, Quin is the future. I believe with him here, this city is going to win a championship.”
NBA Rumors: Atlanta Hawks Seek Help For Trae Young Via Trade Market
Yahoo Sports Jake Fisher is reporting that the Hawks have reciprocated that confidence. Fisher said sources are telling him the Hawks are “open to conversations” on anyone on their roster except for their point guard, implying they plan to continue building around the two-time All-Star.
While the Hawks may be willing to entertain most trade talks, Fisher said they are not actively seeking to trade Dejounte Murray, which makes sense. The Hawks traded for Murray just last summer for three first-rounders. While Murray didn’t put up the numbers he did in his lone all-star campaign (2021-22), the 26-year-old combo guard had a solid season. He compiled 20.5 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.3 rebounds. Murray also posted career-best 1.8 treys and a 51.4% effective field goal percentage. However, he will be an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season, so Atlanta may revisit their stance at the trade deadline if they don’t get the results desired.
Atlanta went 41-41 with an offensive rating of 116.6 and a defensive rating of 116.3. The Hawks were 3-6 without Young and 3-5 in games Murray didn’t play. They were 0-2 in games when neither played.
Atlanta reached the postseason in each of the last three years. But the Hawks have not won more than 43 games in any of those three campaigns, which includes when they went on their surprising run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2020-21. Overall during this stretch, the Hawks have gone 84-80 with two first-round exits.
Which Hawks Are Most Likely To Be Traded
Part of the reason the Hawks have been mediocre recently is that the salary cap has hampered them. Atlanta has 14 players under contract, 10 fully guaranteed, with salaries totaling $170 million in 2023-24. They own the 15th and 46th picks in this year’s draft.
So, with no cap room or easy pathway to subtract salaries, their best way to improve is via trades. John Collins is the most likely to be dealt as he is due $25.3 million this season and over $78 million over the last next three years. While Collins is a solid defender, he has been de-emphasized on the offensive end.
Clint Capela is also a name to keep an eye on. Capela is still a solid rim protector and one of the best rebounders in the game. However, his overall defense has leveled off, and is owed over $25 million over the next three years. Capela does have good chemistry with Young, so Atlanta may not be overly interested in moving the 29-year-old center.
De’Andre Hunter ‘s four-year, $90 million extension kicks in this year. While the Hawks seem to believe in the 25-year-old wing, Hunter has been too inconsistent and injury prone. Hunter is coming off a solid offensive season, averaging a career-high 15.4 points with a slash line of .461/.350/.826.
Bogdan Bogdanovic is the Hawks’ best shooter. But he will be 31 years old this upcoming season and has a history of knee problems. While Bogdanovic is owed $52 million over the next three years, the contract money descends yearly.
Proposed Trade
Collins arguably had his worst statistical season in 2022-23. The 25-year-old averaged 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks while compiling a corrective effective field goal percentage of 55.7%. Collins has been rumored to be on the move for much of the past year. He was linked to Phoenix before yesterday’s Bradley Beal trade and Dallas already this summer.
Fisher said that the Mavericks would be more interested in the purported trade with the Hawks that would send the No. 10 pick and Davis Bertans to Atlanta for the No. 15 selection and Capela rather than Collins.
Fisher added that Onyeka Okongkwu is drawing the most interest from teams. However, it is unlikely that Atlanta has any interest in trading the 22-year-old. Okongkwu has grown in his first three seasons and is coming off a career season. A monster on the boards, Okongkwu nearly averaged a double-double in the 18 games he started though he was much more efficient coming off the bench. Okongkwu is eligible for a rookie scale extension.
Saddiq Bey is an interesting case. Bey was excellent for the Hawks, who traded five second-round picks for the 25-year-old at the trade deadline. However, he has been inconsistent throughout his young career. He averaged 11.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.0 treys a game while compiling a career-best 57.9% effective field goal percentage in 25 games for Atlanta. Bey, eligible for a rookie scale extension, is expected to remain with the Hawks.
AJ Griffin is also not expected to be moved. Griffin, selected with the No. 16 pick in 2022, shot the ball exceptionally well. He averaged nearly nine points a game, shooting 46.5% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. But he really didn’t provide much else in his 19 minutes a game.
The Hawks Biggest Area of Need
Atlanta’s most significant needs are defense and 3-point shooting.
Defensively, the Hawks finished 22nd in defensive rating. Atlanta gave up 118.1 points a game on 48.5% shooting from the field. Their biggest issue was transition defense and protecting the paint.
Boston absolutely shredded Atlanta’s defense in the opening round of the playoffs. The Hawks allowed the Celtics to shoot over 51% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line on nearly 16 treys a game. The Hawks also permitted 15.2 fast break points (fifth most) and a playoff-high 54.7 points in the paint.
Atlanta was also one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league. The Hawks ranked among the bottom 10 of the NBA in 3-pointers, 3-pointers attempted, and 3-point percentage. Bogdanovic led the team with 2.7 threes at a solid 40.7% clip. Young was next with 2.1 treys, followed by Bey (2.0), Murray (1.8), Hunter (1.5), and Griffin (1.4). While six players shot over 40% from long distance, three of their four starters knocked down less than 35% of their tries from beyond the arc. Capela is not a threat from the perimeter.
Pascal Siakam has been rumored to be an option for Atlanta. But Siakam is slated to make over $37 million this coming year.
