The Atlanta Hawks Were Right To Move On From Taurean Prince

Re-examining the Atlanta Hawks’ trading of Taurean Prince.

At one point, Taurean Prince looked to be a key member of the Atlanta Hawks’ future core. The 12th overall pick back in 2016 had some nice statistical seasons in the Hawks’ first few rebuilding years, ranking second on the team in points per game in the ’17-’18 season.

He took a backseat to John Collins, Trae Young, and even Kevin Huerter in his third season, however, and despite putting up okay numbers, it became clear he was not going to be a major building block in Atlanta moving forward.

The Hawks traded him soon after season’s end, sending him and a second-rounder to Brooklyn for two firsts and veteran guard Allen Crabbe.

Prince was just 25 at the time and obviously still had value, but most considered the trade to be a win-win. Now, after a season of watching Prince in Brooklyn, it looks like the Hawks may have won the trade after all.

TP wasn’t terrible for the Nets but failed to make strides in his fourth season. In fact, his shooting percentages took a tumble, with his field goal clip dropping from 44% to 37% and three-point from 39% to 33%.

The only numbers that went up from his final year in Atlanta were rebounds, probably due to the fact that the Nets were playing him as a power forward. Some speculated that this move for the 6’7 wing, who played small forward and some shooting guard for the Hawks, was a factor in his lackluster production.

The Nets were confident in Prince before the season began, signing him to a 2-year, $29 million deal back in October. With Kevin Durant‘s return looming and given Prince’s mediocre play at the four, Brooklyn might be paying him to be a high-volume bench guy.

While it’s too soon to entirely say that Prince reached his ceiling, it’s possible that the player he was two years ago was the player he’s going to be the rest of his career. Meanwhile, the Hawks made great use of the two firsts they got from Brooklyn.

One was apart of the package they sent New Orleans to help them move up and take De’Andre Hunter, Prince’s replacement in the starting lineup this season. The other was used to help them land Clint Capela, likely the center of their future.

Prince is by no means a bad player, but the Hawks did right by moving on from him while he still had value. Chalk it up as a win for GM Travis Schlenk and the rest of the Atlanta Hawks’ front office.