Develop the Younger Shooting Guards
Trading Baze should be off of the table for the Hawks who currently sit at 3-6. As much as the team has tried to shop him to the highest bidder, now isn’t the right time. The current depth chart at the two guard position consists of Bazemore, Kevin Huerter, DeAndre’ Bembry and Vince Carter.
Clearly Huerter is in the future plans for the Hawks, however, he is still trying to find his stride considering he missed summer league action. Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk knew that drafting the Maryland product would be a project.
Both Bazemore and Carter will be able to provide mentorship for the young guard. However, it makes sense to refrain from trading Baze so that he can take on the minutes that Carter is unable to play due to age.
Bembry, in his third year with the franchise, is continuing to develop. But he isn’t ready yet to take on a bigger role just yet. On the other hand, Carter is the gift that keeps on giving as he is currently playing multiple positions due to John Collins‘s absence.
Carter is continuing to produce at the age of 41 but he will most likely retire after this season. Hanging on to Baze one more season wouldn’t hurt. Not to mention he shot the third-highest three-point percentage on last year’s Hawks team (39.4) and is third in scoring on this year’s team.