Eve of the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline

By: Michael Cummings & Will Grendon

Trade season is here and the NBA’s trade the deadline is set to come-and-go Thursday at 3 p.m. Before the play-in tournament was implemented, more teams looked to be sellers ahead of the trade deadline. Now that the playoff picture has been expanded, the rules of engagement have flipped. If a team does have a shot at the playoffs, why not make a move to bolster the roster for a playoff push?

Coming into the year, expectations for Atlanta were high. The Hawks were fresh off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance and were poised to be even better with a core of primarily young players. Needless to say, this season has had its fair share of up’s and down’s. Hawks General Manager, Travis Schlenk, is not one to stand on the sidelines and let things continue without attempting to change course. Schlenk said this about the team’s roster in January:

“We have a few weeks before the trade deadline here, and this is what I need to figure out. It’s my responsibility to put a product on the floor that can win, and right now, I’m not sure I have done that.”

Time to evaluate some of the players who have been connected to the Hawks in potential trade scenarios.

Ben Simmons:

For the entirety of the 2021-22 season, Ben Simmons “news” has been the spiritual equivalent to filler episodes in an anime. A statement here about irreparable damage done to his relationship with the Philadelphia 76ers, and another one about how much money he is forfeiting by staying away from the team. Currently, Simmons has lost $19 million, and he is poised to lose another $12 million, if he fails to take the court this season. The Simmons saga has been exhausting and at this point it is a shame to not watch him playing basketball, regardless of the jersey he is wearing. 

Simmons has been heavily linked to Atlanta over the past few months. Back in late-January, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that “the Hawks and Sixers had conversations on the availability of Ben Simmons, with Atlanta discussing a proposed deal of John Collins, Cam Reddish and a first-round pick to the Sixers.” Since that report, Cam Reddish was traded to the New York Knicks for a protected-first round pick and Kevin Knox, and a recent Marc Stein report detailed that Collins is “unlikely to be dealt before the deadline.” 

That “Collins caveat” is important because any potential Simmons deal would need him to be involved, considering the size of his contract. Working Simmons into the rotation would help sure up Atlanta’s defense on paper. Despite his now infamous playoff meltdown, the former-number one overall pick is indisputably among the league’s elite when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. His ability to guard any perimeter threat, from shifty-guards to power-wings, would be a nice complement to Onyeka Okongwu’s interior capability. The big question would be whether or not Simmons would accept a Draymond Green-esque role, by serving as the secondary creator off of pick-and-roll actions? At this point it is unlikely Simmons ever materializes into a capable shooter, but if he could hone in on being a defensive menace, pushing transition opportunities, and attacking 4-on-3 situations that would materialize from Trae Young’s gravity, the fit could be seamless. 

It is worth noting that a day or so before Stein’s report on the unlikelihood of a Collins move, Shams Carania reported that “the two sides [Philly and Atlanta] have discussed a framework of John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and draft compensation in exchange for Simmons.” However, I do not think a blockbuster trade involving Simmons to the Hawks ends up happening before the deadline. Daryl Morey would should still have the same offer from Atlanta in the offseason and it is common knowledge that he is seeking a legitimate star to replace Simmons. 

Derrick White:

White was drafted 29^th overall back in the 2017 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs where he has developed into a nice young professional. Of the 60 participants invited to the NBA Draft combine that season, White was one of 15 players who had not been a top-150 recruit coming out of high school. White has played with a chip on his shoulder since entering the league five years ago. Over his last two seasons, White has put up career-high averages across the board for points, assists, steals, and blocks per game. That kind of production would be welcomed on this Hawks sqaud. The question is, would it even happen?

White’s name has been linked to the Hawks when it comes to the trade deadline, but only recently, and it is hard to tell how legitimate these rumors are. It should be worth mentioning that White just signed a 4-year, $70 million contract last season with the Spurs. That contract is team-friendly for the kind of production White is putting out but would it concern Atlanta that San Antonio would be so willing to ship out their young guard so quickly? It would be as if the Hawks traded Kevin Huerter before the deadline, after giving him a new contract this offseason. That would certainly would have some of Hawks fans confused.

A package for White could potentially include John Collins. The Spurs have shown interest to Collins in the past but Coach McMillan did recently mention that Collins is part of “the core” along with Young and De’Andre Hunter. Meaning, a deal for White is more than likely not going to happen but the possibility still remains. 

What would Derrick White bring to the Atlanta Hawks? The simple answer is production. He plays both ends of the floor very well and any team could use more players like that. How much would it take to acquire the likes of White and would it be worth it at that point this point in the season? I for one would not mind seeing White in a Hawks jersey, but the probability of having to give up Collins makes me feel less confident about it. A backcourt of Young and White could be formidable for years to come, but it may never happen. 

Marcus Smart: 

Marcus Smart has been a polarizing player his entire career, even going back to his days at Oklahoma State. Coming out of college, Smart had some red flags and question marks, but the Boston Celtics chose his potential and selected him sixth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. Smart has spent all eight of his seasons in Boston, so the possibility of him wanting a fresh start in a new city could be very plausible. Keep in mind, Smart is still only 27 years old. He may have a little bit of mileage, but he has certainly plenty of tread left as well. Smart has never been known as much of a scorer, but he has been putting up career-high’s in scoring averages his last couple of seasons with just over 13 points per game last year. He has always been known for his defensive intensity, and his ability to be a pest for his opponents. Atlanta could definitely use his defensive acumen.

Marcus Smart’s name has been linked to the Atlanta Hawks a decent amount as we draw nearer to the deadline, first reported by The Athletics’ Chris Kirschner. Kirschner most notably mentioned that he actually heard chatter on a Smart for Bogdan Bogdanovic trade framework in the past few days. It seems likely that Bogdanovic will be one of the players included in any trade package the Hawks propose before the deadline.

What would Marcus Smart bring to the Atlanta Hawks if this deal went down? One would think a higher level of defensive efficiency but that may not be the case. A bit surprising, Marcus Smart has a lower defensive rating, with 105.7 this season, compared to Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has a defensive rating of 115.5. Smart is also averaging essentially the same amount of rebounds per game, but he does average one more steal per game that ‘Bogi’. With all of that being said, I think it may be safer to stick it out with Bogdan, but the front office wants changes and they want it quickly.

This Hawks team for whatever reason, has not played up to the hype they created for themselves after their marvelous playoff run. When things like this happen in professional sports, you are likely to see some locker room changes. Let us know what you think of the potential players we came up with and which ones you would want to see in the comments below!