The Atlanta Hawks are involved in about every trade rumor that has appeared on the NBA’s trade landscape this season. Essentially everyone, but Jalen Johnson, has been linked to other teams via trade, and yes, that even includes star, Trae Young (although those would all be longshots). This is not going to be your usual trade article, with what we can net back and exchange for our players. This is more of an address on the state of the franchise and what led us to this point.
First off, let’s address Dejounte Murray. He was the crown jewel acquisition for the Hawks two off-season’s ago, and looked to be the perfect fit alongside Young. Atlanta sent expiring contracts and three first-round selections, in exchange for Murrays’ services. Atlanta’s front office extended Murray last offseason to double-down on the trade. He was supposed to be the ‘yin’ to Young’s ‘yang,’ a defensive, play-making, ball-handler, that would take the pressure off Young. Although we have seen that at times, the fit has actually developed into a square peg in a round hole. When either Young or Murray is handling the ball, the other is regulated to watching the other, off-ball, and essentially the offense turns to a 4-on-5 situation.
The defense has not been there for Murray, but in our estimation, we fault the team as a whole, because no one has been there defensively all season. Yet, it is a disappointment, because Murray was a contender for All-NBA Defense in all his years in San Antonio, and that has not been the case in Atlanta. Oddly enough it has been Young who is having his best defensive season as a pro, but it has had little to no impact on winning.
Murray has also been super cryptic and non-existent to the media this season, which leads fans to wonder if he is done buying into the Hawks’ vision. As much as I hate to say it, and I have been a supporter to build around the trio of Young/Johnson/Murray, I think Murray’s time in Atlanta is up. The Hawks should engage in any trade that reload the draft-arsenal and potentially net a young prospect or starting-caliber player. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, and the Utah Jazz, have been linked to Atlanta/Murray.
Secondly, let’s address the trio of Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter and A.J. Griffin. Starting off with Capela, his level of play has fallen off drastically. One NBA executive, said that ‘teams will only value him as a backup center,’ in regards to his trade value. Capela’s defensive presence has also diminished and his lack of an offensive skillset is rearing its ugly head, more times than not. His contract is fair, but there is not much of a market for a diminishing defensive-minded center in today’s league.
At 26 years old, Hunter is having another season marred by injury, putting serious doubts for his future as an Atlanta Hawk. The former fourth overall selection, has shown flashes as a consistent forward for Atlanta, but has never been able to do it for long stretches, whether it is play-related or health-related. Hunter is on a reasonable deal, but again, with the injury-history, the ship may have sailed on netting anything worth of value for Atlanta. Even though the Hawks’ defense has been historically bad, it should be noted that it has looked even worse without Hunter in the lineup, to his defense.
Finally, we look at A.J. Griffin, the once upstart-rookie who has since looked like a shell of himself for his sophomore season. Griffin missed most of the first-half of the season with personal issues, and when he has been available he has not looked great. Griffin played in 72 games last season and averaged about 19 minutes of action, this year he has only appeared in 17 games and averages about 7 minutes of play. With his age and shooting ability, Griffin could be packaged into a lot of prospective deals as a “young talent” but teams do not really have much of a sample-size to evaluate on.
Lastly, we have to acknowledge what a masterclass BUTCHER job it has been by Landry Fields, Tony/Nick Ressler and the rest of the Hawks’ front office. Admittingly, some of the franchises’ problems were inherited by the previous regime of Travis Schlenk, but nothing has been done to move the needle forward. Truly, the Hawks are currently in the state of recouping losses and a potential teardown of the roster. No one knows who is running the front office, is it the Ressler’s, it is Fields, or is it Kyle Korver? They have held onto assets too long that will now bear the team an absolute minimal haul, they have made questionable contract signing’s and trades, and sadly, they have done nothing to make fans feel like the mediocrity of the franchise is something of the past.
This can have serious implications moving forward, especially when it comes to retaining players. Trae Young leaving should be the fear every Hawks’ fan has, especially with the current trajectory of the franchise. He is a perennial 20+ point scorer and 9+ assist-man, who is contending for a play-in spot season after season. Atlanta’s first true superstar, since Dominique Wilkins, is stuck in league purgatory which never ends well for the the player or for the franchise. Young could leave for a bigger market and increase his brand over night. Of course this is all conjecture, but we have seen this story too many times around the league, and the way players switch teams now-a-days, it is too hard not to see the writing on the wall.
What will Atlanta do at this year’s deadline? Who knows, but whatever they decide on doing they also need to do it strategically. Time is running out, and it seems like the team needs way more than a band-aid to fix their issues. Only time will tell, but the Hawks are right where they have been for the past 30 years, no-man’s land, and even for the most die-hard fans, it is getting painful to watch.
What do you think the Hawks should do? Let us know in the comment section below.
