Atlanta Hawks not making ‘any forward progress’ on long-rumored trade

There could be trouble for the Atlanta Hawks and their rumored trade talks.

“Even the rising noise about Toronto forward Pascal Siakam has seemed to quiet,” wrote Yahoo Sports NBA insider Jake Fischer on July 5. “The Hawks and Raptors have discussed various concepts to send Siakam to Atlanta in recent weeks, sources said, however those conversations have not generated any forward progress of late.”

Fischer’s report lines up with reporting from Marc Stein of the Stein Line regarding multiple iterations of potential trade packages being haggled over between the two sides.

“Atlanta has been tied to Siakam for weeks and was trying to re-engage the Raptors over the weekend,” wrote Michael Grange of Sportsnet on July 4. “Several other teams are believed to have checked in also.”

Grange previously reported that the Hawks and Raptors were trying to include the Houston Rockets in a potential trade. The Hawks trade of John Collins to the Utah Jazz is also still not yet finalized meaning there are several ways for the Hawks to fold the Raptors into a deal, though it does not sound as though that has helped move anything along.

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Siakam, 29, averaged 24.2 points and 5.8 assists this past season, both of which were career highs, and added 7.8 rebounds and nearly 1.0 steals. He shot just 32.4% from beyond the arc this past season but is a legitimate three-level scorer.

The former No. 27 overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft is going into the final year of a four-year, $137 million contract.

Atlanta Hawks looking to fill void left by John Collins

The Hawks have a bit of a void at power forward without Collins. While they have Saddiq Bey, who performed very well last season, and third-year man Jalen Johnson, neither is the player on both ends that Collins was at his peak which could explain the push to get Siakam.

Bey, 24, averaged 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while knocking down 40% of his deep looks in 25 regular season appearances for the Hawks after the trade deadline.

He is also extension eligible with the Hawks said to be eyeing keeping him around.’

Johnson, 21, was the No. 20 overall selection by the Hawks in 2021. He averaged 5.6 points, 4.0 boards, and 1.2 assists this past season and offers a lot of the same skills the Hawks would be getting in Siakam, albeit in a far less experienced and accomplished package as their eight-year age gap would suggest.

A Hawks starting lineup that posted a net rating ranked in the 84th percentile with Collins ranked in the 32nd percentile with Bey in his place and were bottom-feeders with Johnson, per Cleaning The Glass.

That puts a little additional context behind the seeming persistence of the Hawks to add a player of Siakam’s caliber.

He could help them regardless but there is certainly some added incentive to add to this group that is trying to compete.