The Atlanta Hawks have pulled the trigger on their first trade of the season coming on the back of the comments made by Travis Schlenk. The problem is that it is very hard to get a read on the trade given that it has to be the first move in what Schlenk is trying to acheive.
The Hawks gave up their promising wing Cam Reddish, Solomon Hill, who is out for the season, and a 2025 second round pick. In return they received Kevin Knox and the Charlotte Hornets 2022 first-round draft pick which is protected 1-18.
While on the surface this trade looks a little one-sided, the Hawks may have pulled off a low-key success. Looking at his 2021-22 season raw stats, Knox could be a bust. He is only averaging 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per game
Why the Atlanta Hawks may feel they can get more out of Kevin Knox
The Hawks have been struggling with offensive production when Trae Young is off the court. They have tried many things but non appear to have worked. Knox is a role player who will help the second unit. Where Reddish wanted to be more than a catch and shoot floor spacer, Knox has shown that he is up for that role with the Knicks.
Over his career he has made 235 shots from beyond the arc. He has been assisted on 92.3 percent of them. Over the last two years every 3-ball he has made he has been assisted on. This means that when he will be a good position for a kick out, helping to space the floor.
Knox has an ability to create his own shot but also moves to the right positions on the court without the ball. He has been assisted on 50.9 percent of his field goals for his entire career. However, there remains the question of if he can do this, why has he not?
The answer to this is pretty simple. The season after Knox completed a really successful rookie campaign where he averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.6 steals in 28.8 minutes per game the Knicks changed the direction of their franchise.
This is when the Knicks signed free agent Julius Randle who they have attached their wagon to. Knox plays a similar role to Randle meaning that his court time diminished. Now that he coming to the end of his rookie scale contract, Knox is going to be keen to prove himself with his new club.
This means that he will be given and role and he will do his best to stick to it, helping the Atlanta Hawks any way he can.