5 trade deadline targets to help fix the Atlanta Hawks perimeter defense
Atlanta Hawks trade-deadline target No. 2: Taurean Prince would be a better addition this time around
One of the key bits of info from Schlenk’s interview was his reference to the Atlanta Braves and how they opted for smaller moves instead of making a drastic change to the makeup of their roster. It is a method that makes sense for the Hawks, given their wealth of young assets, to try and better supplement them rather than dumping them off prematurely.
Cam Reddish’s name comes to mind in this regard.
As such, there are several lesser-known (but still high-quality) options that the Hawks could pursue to shore up their perimeter defense while maintaining flexibility going forward with Clint Capela and Kevin Huerter among those who cannot be traded until the offseason.
At, or near, the top of that list should be a familiar face in Taurean Prince. The 6-foot-7, former first-round pick of the Utah Jazz (12th overall) spent the first three years of his career in Atlanta.
His second season when he averaged 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists was his best.
This trade harkens back to the draft when it was rumored the Timberwolves were sniffing around Reddish and landing Patrick Beverley is arguably an even bigger get than Prince.
Beverley is holding his assignments 11.6 percent below their averages from deep this season.
Prince has developed into quite the shooter, this season notwithstanding, shooting over 38 percent from beyond the arc three times in his career and 40 percent just last season which he split between the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now, with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he is averaging 4.9 points and 2.2 boards in just over 15 minutes per game. He’s shooting 37.8 percent overall and 31.2 percent from three. But this wouldn’t be an offensive acquisition.
While Prince’s matchups are shooting above their averages on threes this season, he was holding them 3.4 percent below their averages on triples as recently as 2020 with Brooklyn.
The pick going to the Hawks has a lot to do with the salary they would be taking back.