This season definitely hasn’t gone according to the Atlanta Hawks’ plan. Following a down 2021-22 season where the Hawks, the 2021 Eastern Conference finalists led by Trae Young, scuffled to a first-round defeat following a play-in triumph, they hunted for a major offseason upgrade and got it in the form of 2022 All-Star guard Dejounte Murray. However, Murray’s addition just hasn’t been able to lift the Hawks from the middle of the pack, as they have a mediocre 21-22 record at the time of writing.
And in essence, Dejounte Murray didn’t just cost the Hawks three first-round picks, a pick swap and Danilo Gallinari. It also cost the Hawks their best sharpshooter in Kevin Huerter in an effort to remain below the luxury-tax threshold for the season.
Now, the loss of Huerter to the Sacramento Kings should prove to be an excruciating pain point for a team starved of reliable outside marksmen. The Hawks rank 29th in the entire league in threes made per game, such a precipitous downfall that contributed to their fall from the best offense in the NBA last year to the 22nd, an inexcusable level of output for a team boasting the services of Trae Young .
Nevertheless, it is not too late for the Hawks to try and remedy what ails them. With the trade deadline fast approaching, the Hawks could ramp up their efforts in dealing away John Collins, who is currently in the middle of the worst season of his career since his rookie campaign, to bolster other areas of the team that need reinforcement.
Atlanta Hawks’ biggest need: 3&D wing
Every team needs a 3 and D player in the mold of OG Anunoby. The outcome of the 2022 playoffs show as much. On the biggest stage, skilled size stands out, and defensive versatility ensures that one can impact the game even without scoring. Just look at how Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green helped the Golden State Warriors claim the 2022 NBA championship. However, the Hawks, for all the talent in their roster, appear to be lacking in that regard.
De’Andre Hunter, drafted fourth overall in 2019, was supposed to be that guy for the Hawks. However, for one reason or another (perhaps due to his considerable injury history), he has not been able to take the mantle as a do-it-all secondary star alongside Trae Young.
Hunter’s game has stagnated a bit, although his size and shooting makes him a vital piece for Atlanta nonetheless. But the Hawks, simply put, need more, especially if they were to cash in on a trade asset with as much potential as John Collins. And perhaps, even as a pipe dream, they could join the mix in a potential OG Anunoby trade pursuit should the Toronto Raptors decide to blow it up.
As for more realistic options, the Hawks could, instead, look at Jae Crowder, Bojan Bogdanovic, or perhaps even both in a potential trade. Crowder hasn’t played all season, but he’s a certified winner, having helped his team achieve success at every stop in his NBA career. Moreover, Crowder should be fresh for the stretch run, ready to play heavy minutes as a battle-tested 3&D forward.
Meanwhile, Bojan Bogdanovic isn’t more of a 3-level scorer than a true 3 and D guy, but he can hold his own on the perimeter with his 6’7 frame. He has tussled with superstars in past playoff runs, with experience in squaring off against LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard back when he was with the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz, respectively. His three-point marksmanship, however, will be the real boon. He is shooting 41.5 percent from deep with the rebuilding Detroit Pistons, and he will feast on the playmaking of both Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
Nevertheless, a John Collins trade with the Jazz for Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt appears to be the most likely scenario, with the only holdup being the Hawks’ hesitation to include an additional first-round pick. This hesitation is understandable, especially after trading away three first-rounders in the Murray trade. Nevertheless, Beasley and Vanderbilt each represent one facet of the Hawks’ most pressing need, so perhaps a trade for them can be shrewd all the same.
Malik Beasley is definitely more of a sharpshooter than a defender, while the opposite is true for Jarred Vanderbilt. Beasley could function as essentially the Kevin Huerter replacement, while Vanderbilt could be a small-ball option at the fifth to take on opposing teams that focus more on stretching the floor. And with the two locked into a contract until next season (Beasley has a team option), the Hawks could acquire two solid, young pieces that could better equip the Hawks with the pieces necessary for them to make noise in the crowded Eastern Conference.
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