It has not exactly been the kind of season the Hawks had hoped up to this point so far.
Atlanta is 9-10 after a loss to Milwaukee last night and the Hawks are also 1-3 since losing forward Jalen Johnson to injury. Johnson is an important player on this team for defense especially and for rebounding. Losing his two-way versatility has been a problem, but the defense as a whole has been a disaster.
After making a run to the Eastern Conference Finals, Atlanta has been to the play-in tournament in back-to-back years and had disappointing first-round exits. There has been pressure on this franchise to win, but they have not delivered yet.
But does that mean they need to tank?
Bleacher Report Analyst Zach Buckley asked the question of teams on the playoff fringe and this is what he had to say about the Hawks and whether or not they should tank:
“As per usual, the Hawks keep hovering around .500 and struggling to gain any kind of traction in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They can’t keep logging mileage on the treadmill of mediocrity forever, so at some point, they’ll need to consider making drastic changes if things don’t improve.
That point isn’t now, though.
Coach Quin Snyder, who was hired in February, hasn’t completed a full calendar year on the job yet. Trae Young’s 25th birthday just passed. This is only his second season with backcourt mate Dejounte Murray. Jalen Johnson was only scratching the surface of what he could do in a significant role before a wrist injury forced him off the floo
Atlanta has way too many paths toward internal improvement—Onyeka Okongwu has long appeared ready for an expanded role—for the front office to abandon hopes already. The Hawks may not soar to greatness this season, but pretty goodness feels doable, and that’s before accounting for any substantial trades that could be in the works.”
I would agree with this and can confidently say I don’t think the Hawks are even thinking about tanking. Young is playing at a high-level, they just traded for and re-signed Murray, Johnson is injured and looks like a stud, and they just re-signed Okongwu.
I do think it is possible a big trade could be on the horizon though if things don’t improve. Just last week, Atlanta was rumored to be monitoring a trade for Pascal Siakam
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.com, Atlanta continues to monitor Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as a potenital trade target.
Here is what Scotto had to say about the potential trade:
“The Atlanta Hawks continue to monitor Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as a potential trade target after attempting to acquire him during the offseason, league sources told HoopsHype.
While Atlanta was unable to acquire Siakam over the summer, Jalen Johnson has emerged as an early Most Improved Player candidate, averaging career-highs in points (14.1) on 59.4 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from beyond the arc with 7.3 rebounds as the starting forward before suffering a left wrist injury that could sideline him 4-to-6 weeks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“Jalen Johnson has been their third best player this year behind Trae Young and Dejounte Murray,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype.
Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter was among the players discussed during the Siakam talks, and his $20 million salary and versatility on both sides of the ball playing both forward spots at times makes him a trade candidate to watch in a potential deal.
Another Hawks frontcourt player, center Clint Capela, was linked to the Mavericks this offseason, but with the emergence of rookie center Derrick Lively, Dallas’ trade interest in Capela has since faded. However, after signing Onyeka Okongwu to an extension, some rival executives believe Capela could be used as a trade chip again before the February trade deadline.
Patty Mills and his $6.8 million expiring contract is a noteworthy trade chip that could also be included to match salaries.”
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