Atlanta Hawks: It is a good thing that RJ Barrett trade offer was denied

The Atlanta Hawks tried to trade up in the 2019 NBA draft so they could select RJ Barrett. It was fortunate for the Hawks that the New York Knicks declined their offer which was pick no. 8 and pick no. 10 in the 2019 draft per Marc Berman of B/R.

The Knicks would select Barrett with pick no. 3 which allowed the Hawks to make a trade that landed them De’Andre Hunter. Before he was injured, Hunter was showing that he is a player of the future and the Hawks are going to benefit from his all-round play.

The Hawks trade to get Hunter only cost them pick no. 8 and some other ancillary pieces. They were able to keep pick no. 10 which they then used to select Cam Reddish. He is another player the Hawks can build around or trade depending on what the Hawks need.

The Atlanta Hawks have benefitted from not making the trade.

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While Barrett has been really good for the Knicks, the Hawks have gone in a different direction which is going to benefit the club. In the offseason, they signed Bogdan Bogdanovic who is one of the purest shooters in the NBA.

His ability to be the secondary playmaker has taken the pressure of Trae Young. He has propelled the Hawks further up the standings than they would have otherwise been if they had traded for Barrett.

Without Bogdanovic signing with the franchise there is a good chance that Danilo Gallinari does not sign either. The impact of this is that the Hawks would potentially be out of the playoff race and this would then mean that they would likely lose John Collins.

While a lot of this is conjecture, had the Hawks traded for Barrett, there is a good chance that the Hawks would not be in the position they are in. This makes it a good thing that the Knicks did not accept the trade offer, they have secured the future of the franchise as well as almost qualifying directly for the playoffs this season.