Which players should the Atlanta Hawks look to move on from next?

As the Atlanta Hawks (17-23) get set to take on the Miami Heat for the second time in three days, they search for ways to turn their 17-23 record, and their season, around. It won’t be easy. Miami entered the last contest shorthanded but on a roll and could get star Jimmy Butler back from an ankle injury.

A few days ago we were wondering if constantly shuffling lineups thanks to injuries and COVID was the main culprit behind the Hawks struggles.

Now, the question has to be whether or not the Hawks will see improved play on the court as a result of presumed better chemistry in the locker room. No matter whose side you’re on, having a guy who doesn’t want to be around in the locker room is a detriment.

Beyond that, though, it is fair to wonder what, or more specifically who could be next?

The Atlanta Hawks should look to move on from these players before the deadline

No one has come out and said for certain that there will be more moves made ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline on Feb 10. Reports are that dealing Reddish had been in the works for months. However, some signs point to the Hawks dealing away Cam Reddish for a mid-first-round pick and Kevin Knox is just a precursor to something else.

Many of those same signs are being pointed to by people touting Ben Simmons as the target.

As we’ve discussed, trading for Simmons doesn’t make sense. At least not this season with non-shooting center Clint Capela unable to be traded until the offseason thanks to the extension he signed over the summer.

The Hawks could always pull the trigger and ride out this season but it is unclear if they are fully ready to wave the white flag as a move like that could suggest.

Their record will go a long way in determining which way they go next.

Player the Atlanta Hawks should move on from No. 1: TLC’s contributions are appreciated, but…

When the Hawks were running around with the largest roster in NBA history thanks to a record number of players on 10-day contracts being needed to overcome an ailing rotation. One player who sort of skipped that step was Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. He signed a one-year deal back in September before COVID forced him into a much larger role than anticipated.

His deal became fully guaranteed one week ago on Jan 7.

This season, the lanky wing is averaging 4.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in 27 appearances with 12 starts. He’s shooting 38.5 percent from the floor and 34.7 percent from three.

It’s an improvement over the previous season for Luwawu-Cabarrot but still short of his career-best in 2020 when he averaged 7.8 points on 43.5 percent shooting and 38.8 percent from deep.

His perimeter defense hasn’t been what the Hawks had hoped either with his matchups shooting better than 51.0 percent on three in his defense. But the biggest issue for Luwawu-Cabarrot is when he’s been at his best for the Hawks.

TLC’s splits show a stark difference in his production as a starter as opposed to a reserve.

He averages 7.4 points, 2.6 boards, and 1.7 assists as a starter compared to 2.5/0.8/0.3 off of the bench. His efficiency is far better from the pine though with Luwawu-Cabarrot shooting 37.0 percent overall and 33.9 percent from beyond the arc when he started but 41.4 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from outside with the backups.

So why give up on him if he is more efficient as a reserve? Because the Hawks offensive rating improves by 5.3 points when he’s off of the floor while the opposing team’s offensive rating falls 1.5 points in the same situation.

His spotty offense and leaky defense aren’t helping anything and, if the Hawks continue on their current trajectory, they would be better off giving his minutes to the likes of Skylar Mays.

Player the Atlanta Hawks should move on from No. 2: Wright isn’t providing good bang for the buck

Delon Wright has been a hot topic around these parts in recent weeks. The seven-year veteran came over in an offseason trade with the mission being to finally solve the Hawks backup point guard issues that have persisted since Young was drafted. While he has taken over lead guard duties for the second unit, it has been as much by default as anything else.

He’s averaging 4.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, with 2.5 assists while shooting 42.6 percent from the floor and 39.1 percent from three.

The points and field-goal efficiency are the second-fewest he’s produced of his career while the assists are his third-lowest. His three-point efficiency would set a new career mark if it stands though.

Wright’s length and IQ can make him a problem when guarding opposing point guards.

His on-ball numbers aren’t great. But his on-off numbers show the opposing team’s offensive rating is 4.0 points better when he’s off of the floor while the Hawks offense is 3.8 points worse when he is playing.

Like Luwawu-Cabarrot, Wright’s raw numbers show he has been better in his four starts than in the 31 other appearances made coming off of the bench. He averages 12.3 points and 4.0 assists to go with 5.0 rebounds when among the first five out. Those numbers plummet to 3.1/2.3/2.7 when he is a backup.

Wright, unlike TLC, has been more efficient with more time, shooting 54.3 percent overall and 54.5 percent from outside as a start as opposed to 37.9 percent overall and 34.3 percent from long distance coming off of the bench.

The issue here, on top of his $8.5 million salary, is that despite him being solid and even useful in most areas, Wright isn’t breaking down many opponents off of the dribble.

When he does get to the cup on drives, he’s only finishing 35.4 percent of the time.

He currently ranks 146th out of 198 players with averaging at least 1.0 attempts in the restricted area per game.

While it’s not likely to happen while the Hawks are still vying for playoff relevance, they will eventually want Sharife Cooper in that spot. He provides a lot of what Young does – minus the range – but needs reps at the NBA level.

Player the Atlanta Hawks should move on from No. 3: Bogi could be a valuable trade piece

Bogdan Bogdanovic’s place in all of the trade rumors is an interesting one. On one hand, he showed how valuable he can be during last season’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals, particularly as he averaged 22.7 points on 45.3 shooting (42.9% 3P) with 4.0 assists, 3.3 boards, and 2.3 steals while battling through an avulsion fracture in his knee.

He’s off to a rather slow start after beginning this season on the mend following offseason surgery on that knee averaging 12.2 points on 41.8 percent shooting and 36.1 percent from downtown with 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

He has picked it up of late, averaging 17.3 points while shooting 45.6 percent overall and 37.9 percent from deep over his last four appearances with 4.8 boards, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals.

It looks like he’s rounding into form offensively.

However, like the rest of the Hawks, he’s had an issue stopping dribble penetration on the defensive end with opponents shooting 64.2 percent against him in the restricted area. What’s more, it comes against the sixth most attempts and is the sixth-worst mark on the team among the normal rotation players.

At 29, he is very much still young enough to be a part of a long-term plan in Atlanta. But he will turn 30 over the summer and is set to make $18 million next season as well as in 2024 should he exercise his player option.

It could behoove the Hawks to move on before he walks for nothing or his value on the floor sinks too far below his cap hit.

They could use him as salary-matching fodder in pursuit of a bigger fish; perhaps some that are disgruntled with their current situation. The appeal he has with his age and skillset work for contenders in search of some shooting, as well as upstarts like the Hawks were last season. He could provide a nice bridge to and mentor for some team’s shooting guard of the future.

His value to the Hawks wanes with each loss, though, and that is the challenge.

Player the Atlanta Hawks should move on from No. 4: Vets losing value fast

This last one is our version of the nuclear codes with regards to the Hawks season. But veterans Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams haven’t provided the same kind of steadying presence as last season when they were acquired for second-round picks and Rajon Rondo after he failed to solve their point guard problems.

Gallinari is averaging 9.7 points, 4.2 boards, and 1.2 assists in a little over 22 minutes per game. He is shooting 41.0 percent from the floor and 39.2 percent from beyond the arc. All but the rebounds are down from last year as his minutes are down by a little over two minutes.

Williams is averaging 6.5 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.6 rebounds. He’s shooting 36.6 percent overall and 30.6 percent from deep on about seven fewer minutes per game.

He was a healthy scratch against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Neither player has ever been great on defense but Gallo (33) and Williams (35) are beyond even being in the way. If they guess wrong initially, there is no making up for it. Given the Hawks issues with this from their “stronger” perimeter defenders, and their waning effectiveness on offense, they are borderline unplayable when their shots aren’t falling.

Gallinari, whose $21-plus million salary is guaranteed for just $5 million next season, was drawing interest from the Minnesota Timberwolves over the summer. Our friends over at Dunking With Wolves mentioned Malik Beasley as a possible return.

Beasley is having a down season but would be a tremendous return for Gallinari at this point.

Williams hasn’t generated any trade buzz but the Gwinnett County native did garner interest from one of his former teams in the Los Angeles Lakers before re-signing with the Hawks.

He’s also been close with Young since his arrival with Young’s father even falling Williams the “best veteran” his son has even had for a teammate. That, on top of moving vets for draft picks, would add to the “white flag” nature of this suggestion.

Unless, of course, one or both can be included in a package. Williams’ $5 million deal expires after the season.