Buckle up Atlanta Hawks fans, the next week is about to get crazy. And that’s if we’re lucky. The rumor mill is in full gear and the Hawks are squarely in the middle of a lot of it. We went over suggestions of trades for a top-10 draft pick in The Athletic. As well as Bleacher Report tossing their names in the hat for Bradley Beal.
It is par for the course this time of year but it can be a lot to sort through. Now, ESPN is getting in on the fun with a double-whammy of…interesting suppositions.
The Atlanta Hawks have needs but they don’t include what some seem to think
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First, they have LSU’s Cam Thomas as the choice when the Hawks are on the clock with the 20th pick. Thomas is a 6-foot-4 freshman guard who averaged 23 points per game for the Tigers on percent shooting, and 32.5 percent from outside.
In the NCAA Tournament, he averaged a whopping 28 points across two games.
He’s a very good, albeit inefficient scorer.
Thomas has been projected from anywhere in the top 10 to out of the first round altogether. ESPN’s own ‘NBA Draft 2021 Best Remaining‘ list has him at 26th but that’s not the biggest issue with the hypothetical selection.
He’s not just one-dimensional — he averaged just 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists — Thomas is a negative defender.
"“- Indifferent defender on, but especially off the ball. Plays a very casual style that works against him intensity-wise. Bites on every fake. Allows himself to get buried on switches. Gives up on plays. Completely upright off the ball. Could stand to tone his frame and get into better shape.– Plays a fairly selfish brand of basketball predicated on making difficult shots or getting to the free throw line. Takes a huge volume of 3s and converts them at an average rate. Looks off open teammates and looks like he can be frustrating to play with. Averages more turnovers than assists.– Body language can be a little questionable when things aren’t going his way.”"
None of that sounds like a player the Hawks would be looking to add. Especially considering they have other more viable options on their board
Their predictions got even tougher to swallow from there as they went back to Cam Reddish and cited rival executives.
"“The Hawks may look to restart the cycle by moving one of their rookie scale contract players, such as Cam Reddish, for a first-round pick, as it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to pay all of their young players.”"
It’s not inconceivable the Hawks could be shopping some of their players. We’ve gone over the fact that they are coming up on contract years for several players including Trae Young in addition to dealing with John Collins this offseason. Ownership and management have also made comments regarding the luxury tax and/or keeping the core together.
But to offer Reddish, who is the promising young prospect they have the most control over. If the goal is to “reset the clock”, wouldn’t it make more sense to try moving Kevin Huerter? He has a better resume in the NBA and proved himself to be more than just a shooter or scorer.
Huerter is also extension eligible this offseason and will be looking for a nice raise himself when the time does come.
Or what about one of their hefty veteran contracts? It is a good thing to have to re-invest in your own draft picks, after all. Between Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela, and Danilo Gallinari the Hawks have about $57 million committed next season and another $57 million next season. Add another $18 million for Bogdanovic if he accepts his option in 2023.
ESPN did follow conventional wisdom by mocking Jericho Sims to Atlanta in the second round with the 48th-overall pick. He won’t bring the kind of outside shooting from the position but he is a big body and an older prospect better prepared to contribute right away.