I, like many Atlanta Hawks fans, was sad after the trade deadline. I had lofty expectations for the franchise this year, but it all came crashing down just a month into the season. Trae Young was injured in the fifth game of the season, while Kristaps Porzingis began to miss serious time after playing just 12 games.
What was once a dark horse contender became a team of misfits from the trade market.
CJ McCollum was traded for the second time this year in the Young trade, while Jonathan Kuminga was the target of one of the strangest player-organization beefs this century. Many Hawks fans had given up – it was time to start building for next season.
But against all odds, this cast of misfits has turned Atlanta into a sneakily dangerous team. With an active 10-game win streak behind their back, it’s clear that the Hawks are just as good without Young and Porzingis, and perhaps even better.
Atlanta is in an excellent position moving forward
It made no sense for the Hawks to re-sign Trae Young, but that didn’t stop the national media from dunking on the move to trade him. “How could you not get even a second round pick?” was a line repeated by many, much to the chagrin of Atlanta fans. And at face value, it’s logical – how didn’t we get a first for Young?
The answer is that Young is set for a contract extension either in the 2026 or 2027 offseason. But Young hasn’t been the same world-bending player he once was in recent memory, and Jalen Johnson was already the better player, but was making nearly $20 million less annually. The trade made sense solely to move on from Young with a clean slate.
But the Hawks got a second benefit they didn’t expect, as McCollum has quietly transformed this team. Since adding McCollum to the starting lineup, Atlanta has been on a 10-game win streak – a feat that never occurred during the Young era. While he isn’t the passer Young is, he is arguably a better fit in Atlanta’s well-balanced lineup than his predecessor.
Kuminga, like McCollum, had low expectations heading into his Hawks debut, but he’s done a spectacular job in limited availability so far. Through five games, the former pariah in Golden State has done his best to dispel the ugly reputation he was branded with, averaging an efficient 14.6 PPG and 8.0 RPG while willingly passing the rock in Quin Snyder’s ball-movement heavy scheme.
The trades looked sad at first glance, but now Onsi Saleh looks like a genius. To flip Porzingis, who wasn’t playing due to his ongoing medical drama, for a productive sixth man is a steal. To flip Young’s potentially franchise-damaging third contract for an expiring McCollum is an even greater achievement.