Collin Gillespie is officially eligible to be traded on December 15th, and the Atlanta Hawks would be fools to miss on an opportunity like this.
The Hawks have historically had a serious hole at the backup point guard position. Trae Young’s injury has allowed the Hawks to take stock of their backup one situation, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Keaton Wallace filling Young’s role. While Alexander-Walker has done an adequate job stepping into the full-time starting point guard with Trae Young sidelined, he isn’t a point guard. This doesn’t mean NAW can’t be a PG, but that his skill set is better utilized when he can focus on scoring.
The Hawks don’t desperately need a backup one, but if one became available, they would at least have to consider a move. They need a player who can space the floor for Dyson Daniels, can distribute the ball but doesn’t demand touches, and is solid on defense.
That player is Collin Gillespie, and the Hawks can officially trade for him in two weeks.
The Hawks must entertain a Gillespie trade
Gillespie was a five-year player out of Villanova who was a freshman on the 2018 National Championship roster featuring Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Donte DiVincenzo. Entering his third NBA season at 26 years old, this was a make-or-break season for the Suns' point guard.
Through 20 games, it appears Gillespie made it. He scaled his numbers up from 5.9 to 12.7 PPG, 2.4 to 5.0 APG, and 0.6 to 1.2 steals per game. Most importantly, his three point percentage has remained the same despite increasing his volume from 2.7 to 6.7 3PA a night.
Gillespie is the perfect modern backup point guard. He can handle the ball when surrounded by poor ball handling talent, but he can also space the floor when his teammates have the ball. He isn’t a remarkable defender, but he isn’t an absolute liability. In fact, his DARKO DPM has been positive over his past two seasons in Phoenix. Personally, I don’t think he's a positive on defense as DARKO suggests, but he isn’t the clear negative many shooting point guards are.
Gillespie is on an expiring contract valued at $2.3 million and will be an unrestricted free agent next year. The Hawks will most likely lose Luke Kennard after this season, opening a hole for a guard who can space the floor and create for themselves and others.
The Suns won’t want to lose Gillespie in a trade, but they also won’t want to lose him for free in free agency. Gillespie will have a market in the unrestricted market, and plenty of teams would like a potentially cheap injection of shooting into the lineup. If the Hawks can offer a package too good to turn down, such as Kennard and the 2026 SAS swap for Gillespie and Nick Richards, they could steal Gillespie from a team unwilling to pay him this summer.