The Hawks made a mistake trading away DeAndre Hunter.
No front office is bereft of the occasional gaffe - in fact, it often takes a few steps backwards to take the steps necessary to claim a title a few years down the line.
That being said, Hawks fans certainly felt a bit of salt in the wound during the Cavaliers' playoff run this last postseason, as DeAndre Hunter provided an immediate impact at a position Cleveland had desperately needed aid.
A return of 3 second-round picks isn't negligible - these can certainly be used in a larger deal later down the line, if Atlanta so chooses. However, it's most likely a universal belief at this point that Hunter is worth more than cap filler and non-firsts. Atlanta has a chance this coming postseason to rectify their wrongs, though, and prove that they ultimately fast-tracked their younger wings to develop in the stead of Hunter.
ESPN has Cleveland as the reigning one-seed in their recent playoff prediction, with Atlanta coming in at a solid four-seed. Assuming the Hawks can beat their first-round rival Detroit Pistons, the next step (barring a monumental upset by the eight-seed) would be to dethrone the kings of the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland isn't invincible.
While the majority of 1-seeds in past years are often thought of as locks to make the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers struggled last year to duplicate their regular-season success in the playoffs.
Last year's collapse against the scorching-hot Indiana Pacers came as a shock to Cleveland - how was it possible that such a hot-and-cold team was able to categorically decimate the first seeded, 64-win Cavaliers?
As it so happens, the Hawks have a roster strikingly similar to last year's Pacers, with positional comparisons being drawn up and down the roster. While the Hawks certainly have a strenuous climb ahead of them to reach the summit that Indiana ascended to at the end of last campaign, it's not far-fetched to believe that upsetting the Cavs is within reach.
If Trae Young and co. can put together the same chemistry and hot shooting that Indiana exhibited during their dual with Cleveland, the Hawks will suddenly find themselves on a direct road to the NBA Finals, leaving behind any doubt left from their questionable trade with the Cavs from last year.