After their first-round exit at the hands of the Miami Heat in the playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks realized that they had to make some changes and did just that in the offseason. They managed to land Dejounte Murray for a haul primarily consisting of draft picks to form one of the best backcourts in the NBA.
Dejounte and Trae Young have become quite a pairing, but the Hawks haven’t really taken off this season. Sure, they are fourth in the Eastern Conference, which isn’t too bad, but they have a record of just 13-10 and are just a few games ahead of the 11th-placed Washington Wizards, who are 11-13. All it takes is a couple of losses, and they’ll suddenly find themselves on the outside looking in.
There is also some drama behind the scenes after this mediocre start, as Trae chose to not attend a game against the Nuggets after an altercation with head coach Nate McMillan. Young took to Twitter to play down the matter, but there was another worrying report that came out, which stated that key Hawks personnel believe that Trae must find a way to become a more productive face of the franchise.
It is not the kind of thing you want to hear about a team that aspires to make some noise in the postseason. They have already had multiple team meetings, and it would appear the mood in the locker room isn’t ideal at this point. The front office has already made a splash by trading for Dejounte, which showed they wouldn’t hesitate to make moves, and considering this start and some of the pieces they have on the roster, it wouldn’t be too shocking if they decide to go big again. Here are some players who might find themselves wearing a different jersey later this season.
Frank Kaminsky
Frank Kaminsky was signed by the Hawks this offseason after playing minimally for the Suns last season due to injuries. They gave him a minimum deal worth $2.4 million, but he hasn’t featured a whole lot. He is averaging just 6.1 minutes in the 10 games he has played and has put up 2.1 points to go with 1.5 rebounds per game.
The Hawks aren’t playing him even though he could help with their shooting woes, as they are shooting just 32.6% from beyond the arc, which ranks in the bottom five in the league. They clearly don’t value him a lot, and he could end up on his way out if his contract can help match salaries in a potential trade, but only after December 15th, as newly-signed free agents cannot be traded before that.
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdan Bogdanovic could have certainly helped solve their shooting woes, but the Serbian has missed most of the season with an injury. He finally returned against Denver and should provide a boost, but it would appear that the Hawks are willing to part ways with him.
He is seen as one of the more available players for trade by rival executives, and there are a lot of teams that could use a scorer like him. Bogdanovic is in the third year of the 4-year, $72 million deal which nets him $18 million this season, and he has an $18 million player option for next season. The last we saw of him on the court when he was healthy was last season when he averaged 15.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while coming off the bench for the most part. He certainly has value around the league, and if the Hawks are to land anyone of note, they would have to part ways with him.
John Collins
John Collins has found his name in trade talks for quite some time now, and Collins has been linked with quite a few teams. He is just in the second year of a 5-year, $125 million deal and is owed $23.5 million this season. Any team trading for him has the security of having him around for a while, which is a positive.
The Nets and the Hawks have already touched base regarding a trade for the forward, who is averaging 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. It has been somewhat of a down year, but Collins has shown in his time in the NBA that he is a good starting caliber player and can be put to good use by a lot of teams.
The best bet for the Hawks would be to package all three of them together and try to get a notable piece to pair with Dejounte and Trae. Julius Randle can be an option, as he is having a bounce-back season with the Knicks, which has led to his trade value rising. They would also have to take back some contracts in the case of Randle, as he is going to be making only $23.7 million this season.
If they really want to make a big splash, then they could try for Khris Middleton, and a trade involving these three players we mentioned would work as well, as Middleton is owed $37.9 million this season. The Bucks have played well without him, and Collins, along with Bogdanovic, would help Milwaukee. Middleton also has a player option after this season, and the Bucks might be hesitant to give a long-term deal to him after that injury. It would be a risk for the Hawks as well, but if they want to go all out, then this might well be the move for them.
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Player salaries via Spotrac.
