Did the Hawks early struggles cost them in the buyout market?

The Atlanta Hawks are yet to fill their 15th roster spot which was created thanks to the trade with the New York Knicks they made prior to the deadline. They sent Cam Reddish and Solomon Hill to the Knicks and received Kevin Knox in return. While Knox has embraced his role, he is not going to impact games terribly much.

This is why the Hawks need to get another player off waivers who can impact their squad, be it in the locker room or by their play on the court. Veterans like Goran Dragic and Jevon Carter would have been tremendous additions. Dennis Smith Jr. would have been an interesting option, Enes Freedom could have really spiced things up inside and a DeAndre’ Bembry reunion would have been beneficial to the Hawks.

Well, Dragic, Bembry, and Carter are all off the table as they were quickly snapped up by franchises around the league who have deep playoff aspirations. While the Hawks also have these aspirations, their early-season struggles may have put some players off.

The Atlanta Hawks’ early struggles are not helping them land a veteran

Where a player is waived by a team it is usually for one of two reasons. A team needs to waive a player to create room for another player that they believe will suit their needs better or they are parting ways with a veteran who is looking to try and win a championship this season.

It is this second group that the Hawks are missing out on. They are currently at the level of a play-in team and that is not attractive to a veteran who wants a championship at the end of their time in the league because this is what they have not achieved in an illustrious career.

If the Hawks had not had their injury crisis which was scarily similar to last season and then the Covid-19issues this may be a different conversation. They still have more than 20 games to go and an open roster spot to fill so watch this space.