Expect the trade talk surrounding the Atlanta Hawks to stop
The Atlanta Hawks have been the center of many trade rumors over the last month or so. That will happen when the team sinks to 12th in the standings, losing 15 out of 20 games in the process. In fact, they had their second-worst home losing stretch in franchise history before they took a win against the Milwaukee Bucks.
During this time the Hawks have been linked to Ben Simmons in a trade that could have benefitted the team. However, they only made one trade throughout the period, sending Cam Reddish and Solomon Hill to the New York Knicks, getting Kevin Knox in return.
It has come out since the trade that this one was in the pipeline since the offseason given that Reddish wanted to go somewhere where he was going to play more. The Hawks and Reddish were incredibly professional throughout the whole process with neither party letting on that the wing wanted to be traded.
Why the Atlanta Hawks will stop being the subject of trade talks.
Now the Hawks have moved away from the awkwardness in the locker room which is caused by teammates knowing that a player does not want to be there. This means that the team is back on the same page and they are all pulling towards the same goal.
On top of that, the second unit is now more of a team, rather than watching one player trying to increase his trade value, taking away the designated roles that help a team succeed. Delon Wright has been a different player since Reddish was traded.
On top of that, the Hawks are feeding off the energy that Onyeka Okongwu brings to the floor every night. Since his return, the team defends at a higher intensity when he is on the floor. His play has been the difference in the last two wins.
Two significantly significante Hawks players. dark. Next
These wins are the big reason that the trade speculation will peter out. The Hawks are back in the win column again, but on top of that, even in the last two losses, the Hawks had played the right way. They had the spark which you want to see, the spark which Travis Schlenk wants to see from his ball club.