Atlanta Hawks: Why Tony Snell is the most likely to get traded this season
The Atlanta Hawks had an incredibly active offseason in 2020. They made multiple moves in order to get solid veterans including trading away Dewayne Dedmon and his remaining two-year, 26.0 million millstone contract. In return, the Hawks got Tony Snell on an expiring $12.1 deal.
Snell was out for the first eight games of the season due to injury and then sat out the ninth as the coach’s decision. Other than that, Snell has only missed four games for the remainder of the first half of the season.
In fact, due to the Hawks’ injury issues, Snell has even started the last six games and has done a tremendous job. As a starter, Snell is averaging 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. This is compared to 3.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 13.7 minutes per game as a reserve.
Why the Atlanta Hawks have good trade capital in Tony Snell
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While Snell has the worst contract on the Hawks books, the main reason it is so bad is that the Hawks are not competing. This means that it does not matter too much to the Hawks what happens with Snell at the end of the season. On the other hand, he could make a huge difference to a contender.
Snell is a true 3-and-D wing who is shooting the 3-ball at 56.5 percent on the season. While his per-game numbers are low, his efficiency is sky-high. These are qualities that a contender is going to be looking for, particularly at the crucial wing position.
In his 23 games on the season, Snell has only had seven where he has had a negative impact on the box score, on a team that has struggled when the second unit is on the floor. He has two games where he has had a zero impact and 14 games where he has had a positive impact.
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Snell is a known quantity but the other reason he is the most likely to get traded is the expiring deal. If he does not work out, then the contender who trades for him can move on from Snell next season.