Atlanta Hawks Should Target Gary Harris in Off-Season Trade

Eyeing an Atlanta Hawks trade for Gary Harris.

With all the uncertainty about COVID-19 and the NBA suspending play for the foreseeable future, it’s already time to look forward to the Atlanta Hawks’ off-season.

It’s looking less and less likely like the Hawks will play their final 15 scheduled games, and if that was the case, they’d end the season with a 20-47 record. In terms of wins, it would be their third worst season ever, and in terms of winning percentage, their 5th worst.

With Trae Young, John Collins and Clint Capela, they’ll look to have a quick turnaround next season. Those three combined with emerging young studs like Cam Reddish, Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter, and whoever they draft should be enough to have the Hawks competing for a playoff seed next year. But if they really want to accelerate their rebuild and compete for a top-four seed in the East, they’ll need to make a move in free agency or via trade.

We’ve already looked at some of the upcoming free agents that the Hawks could target, but this year’s free agent class is pretty weak. One name they could look to acquire through a trade is Gary Harris.

Harris is in his sixth NBA season, all of which have been played with the Denver Nuggets. Harris had a breakout season in 2017-2018, averaging 17.5 points on 48 percent shooting, playing tough D on the other end. That earned him a big extension, and he signed a 4-year, $84 million deal back in 2018.

Since then, he’s failed to live up to that deal, and as teammates Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic transformed into offensive superstars, Harris’ role slowly lessened. Last year Harris dealt with injuries and struggled while on the court. He averaged 28.8 minutes per game compared to his 34.4 in his breakout season, and came off the bench for a few games.

Harris has remained healthy for the most part this season but his production is way down. The Nuggets’ roster is incredibly deep and it seems Harris is the odd man at times.

There was some talk of Harris being on the trade market before February’s deadline, but nothing happened. Harris’ trade value is incredibly low thanks to his lackluster numbers, injury history and large contract, and if the Hawks trade for him this summer, they’d likely have to give up practically nothing.

Harris would be better than nearly anyone in the free agent market outside of Anthony Davis and perhaps DeMar DeRozan, and would be an intriguing fit with the Hawks. His perimeter defense would be much appreciated, and he’d be able to get more shots up in Atlanta.

The Hawks would have to take on his salary, but just for the next two years, rather than being tied into a four-year deal with say DeRozan. Harris would come off the books when Trae Young’s eventual extension would kick in.

The trade would be low-cost, low-risk and could really help the Atlanta Hawks accelerate their rebuild.