The Atlanta Hawks panicked.
That is the assessment of their trade deadline decision to send Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Los Angeles Clippers for Bones Hyland and Terance Mann from former Memphis Grizzlies executive John Hollinger, who is now a senior writer for The Athletic.
Hollinger conceded that Bogdanovic was “really struggling.” However, he also cited Mann’s contract and mismatched skill set with the Hawks as negatives, saying Atlanta “overreacted.”
Hollinger also lauded the Clippers for their part in the deal.
“The Clippers signed Mann to that extension, regretted it pretty quickly, and then were able to get off of it and get assets,” Hollinger said on “The Zach Lowe Show” on May 22. “That was a great trade by the Clippers to get off of a mistake.
“Mann can do some things for Atlanta. He’s a good shooter if he has his feet set in the corner. He can play some D, play with some energy. But the Hawks, the way they’re set up right now, they need more creation than he can give them. And so, he wasn’t that productive for them, and he’s still got three more years at $15 and a half [million].”
One of the Hawks’ greatest shortcomings has been when four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young sits.
Young had the third-highest on-off differential on the Hawks.
He also had the fourth-best mark among all players with at least 2700 qualifying minutes during the 2024-25 regular season, per Cleaning The Glass. The Hawks’ net efficiency differential ranked in the 41st percentile in 489 possessions with Mann on the floor and Young off.
Hawks traded one underperformer for another
Mann, who turns 29 in October, is starting a three-year, $47 million contract. He will count between $15.5 million and $16 million against the cap for the duration of the deal.
He averaged 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 38.6% from deep with the Hawks.
Young touted Mann’s contributions and previous postseason success. He missed them for just the second time in his career this season with his trade from LA. The Hawks have missed the playoffs two years straight.
Bogdanovic is heading into Year 3 of a four-year, $68 million pact.
However, the Clippers can simply decline the team option on Bogdanovic’s deal and allow him to hit unrestricted free agency in 2026-27. The Hawks cannot get out of Mann’s contract until it expires in 2028.
As for Bogdanovic, Hollinger relayed a conversation in which the former Hawks fan-favorite swingman admitted he was not healthy to begin the season.
“I actually talked to him in LA, he’s like, ‘Yeah, I feel a lot better,’” Hollinger said.
Bogdanovic’s numbers indeed rose slightly with the Clippers. However, he was ineffective offensively and targeted defensively in the playoffs. The Hawks notably waived Hyland, a spark plug guard off the bench, having no plans to keep him when making the deal.
It would help the Hawks if Kobe Bufkin were further along in his development, but the 2023 first-round pick is heading into Year 3 with 27 career games under his belt thanks to injuries.
That is why lead guards cannot be ruled out for the Hawks in the 2025 NBA Draft.