Should the Atlanta Hawks Take a Chance on Andrew Wiggins?

Taking a quick look on if the Atlanta Hawks should take a flier on Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins.

Now is the time in the Atlanta Hawks’ rebuild to take some chances on young talent, possibly providing a second chance for a player in Atlanta.

One prime candidate for this would be Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins was tabbed to be the next big thing coming out of high school I remember vividly taking a 20-minute bathroom break in high school to watch his commitment to Kansas back in the day.

Wiggins was just fine in Kansas, still showing enough potential to go first overall in the ensuing draft, and once again showed enough win Rookie of the Year in 2015.

Since then however, Maple Jordan has yet to improve much, and the window for a long-awaited breakout season is closing.

The T-Wolves have recently tried moving the usual shooting guard to the point guard spot, with middling success, but he’s still averaging just 3.3 assists per game.

There have been reports that Wiggins’ teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns is unhappy in Minny, and it looks like the Timberwolves could be the next team to hit the reset button.

If they do, salvaging anything out of Wiggins could be step one.

Wiggins is owed a much higher sum of money than he’s worth, set to receive between $29-33 million each year until he hits free agency in 2023.

That significantly drives down the asking price for any potential suitor, which is where the Hawks come in.

As mentioned earlier, the Hawks should be trying anything and everything to build a team around Trae Young. Wiggins, wouldn’t be cheap money wise, but would likely wouldn’t cost too many assets via a trade either.

Something like this, could be just enough to land the former Kansas Jayhawk:

The Nets’ pick looks like it’s going to land anywhere between the 17-22 range, which is a pretty good get for Minny, espically if they want to get the rebuild cooking right away.

Crabbe is just a salary fill for the most part, although he’s certainly the most playable of the three cap relief guys the Hawks have (Turner, Crabbe and Parsons).

Again, if money wasn’t an issue, this would be highway robbery for Atlanta, but given his massive contract, it’s pretty fair.

Meanwhile, the Hawks give Wiggins a change of scenery, which we have seen several in the past be beneficial for both parties.

Wiggins is just 24, and while he may never get that breakout season, is still a better defender than most players on the Hawks currently.

He has a decent stroke from deep (33% career from three), and could work well alongside Trae and JC as a third-option scorer.

It’s a fairly low-risk move for the Hawks, that would cost them minimal assets. If he turns out to be a dud in Atlanta, eating the money would be the only issue.

Wiggins in Atlanta might just work. We’ll see if Travis Schlenk thinks so.

The trade deadline is February 6th.