Atlanta Hawks: 5 reasons to pass on pursuing Ben Simmons

Reason the Atlanta Hawks should pass on Simmons No. 5: You certainly aren’t unloading shooting

One thing that should certainly be off of the table should Simmons come up in negotiations is surrendering perimeter shooting. While the Hawks weren’t the best three-point shooting team, they did finish 12th in the regular season in three-point percentage. The duo of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Heurter are both capable of big games.

Bogdanovic averaged 22.7 points, 3.3 boards, 4.0 assists, and 2.3 steals over the final three playoff games while knocking down 42.9 percent of his threes.

Huerter has been named as a priority for an extension. He dropped 27 points while taking just four total threes in Game 6 versus the 76ers. But he also had a seven-game stretch where he shot 47.2 percent from outside.

Together they are like offensive versions of Hunter and Reddish, though perhaps more consistent with lower overall ceilings.

As important as chemistry is, floor balance is tantamount to success. It doesn’t always have to be three-point shooting. But the threat Bogdanovic and Huerter on the wings helps keep the lane clear.

The only truly dispensible shooting could be Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams. They aren’t enough to bring back Simmons without a bounty of picks the quantity and quality of which Atlanta simply doesn’t have.

There might be an uproar if Williams were included in a deal to bring Simmons to Atlanta anyway.

At any rate, there just isn’t a combination of players (and picks) that make enough sense for the Hawks to try getting a deal done for Simmons.

There are also likely better packages from other teams that make more sense for a 76ers team that would probably be happier sending Simmons elsewhere than to an Eastern Conference contender.