The Atlanta Hawks will look to bounce back from their 110-102 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals, but the NBA waits for no one.
With less than two months to go until the trade deadline, the Hawks are one of several teams that figures to be one to watch as they either pick a lane or one picks them. The Hawks are seventh in the Eastern Conference at 14-13, leaving them back in Play-In Tournament range.
If that is indeed the case, the Hawks are expected to explore trade options for their veterans.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported on December 13 that the Hawks are “excited” about the foursome of Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and Zaccharie Risacher.
“But given where the Hawks are, once again in the play-in race, if teams begin calling about their veterans, sources said, Atlanta will listen,” Bontemps wrote. “The Hawks are flirting with the luxury tax this season, but once Clint Capela's expiring $22 million contract comes off the books after this season, there will be a lot more flexibility for Atlanta to play with to fill out its roster -- in addition to clearing an unimpeded path for Okongwu into the starting five.”
The idea of waiting for the right offer is great in theory. In practice, however, the challenges are great, including knowing just when that deal has come along. Nothing would be worse than passing on an offer or delaying a deal in search of a better one that never comes.
Open phones a risky stance to take for upstart Hawks
Take the case of veteran big man Cody Zeller. He has been away from the team since becoming the final piece of the trade that sent Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Hawks have surely been open to moving him in the right deal all along. And while Zeller is far from the player Capela is. But he remains a useful contributor when he receives playing time.
Still, the Hawks have yet to come across that Goldilocks offer.
That Capela would likely command a more significant offer, even if not substantially so, could be a deterrent for teams looking to deal with the Hawks.
The Hawks need to pick a lane, and the benefits of doing so would be manifold. Most of all, it would provide clarity for the front office, coaching staff, and players. The Hawks’ front office has likely been working on this trade window since the offseason.
Head coach Quin Snyder and his staff will coach up the players that they have.
The players, for their part, will go about doing their jobs as usual unless they are asked about trade winds swirling. And even then, most answers are canned from years of repetition.
Still, that bit of clarity could do wonders for a team still building its chemistry. The Hawks have now dropped two of their last three games after winning six straight. And they had dropped three straight before their turnaround.
Hawks walking fine line before trade deadline
The bigger picture has been less flattering than some of the moments of this season.
That includes the team’s injury woes. The risk of the injury bug popping up again is a case for moving anyone who would generate a reasonable return. Their chemistry could suffer though.
The good news is that they still have time until the deadline. But their schedule is challenging, even for the road-warrior Hawks. They will conclude this three-game road trip against the San Antonio Spurs on December 19, giving them ample time to regroup from the Cup loss.
After that, though, is a four-game homestand against teams at least fighting for the Play-In.
Then, the Hawks have a six-game road trip, get two games at home, head back out for another three games, home for three, and have a four-game excursion before the deadline.
Including their trip to face the Spurs, who the Hawks host on deadline eve, 14 of the Hawks’ next 24 games are away from State Farm Arena. Again, the Hawks have been good on the road this season, with the seventh-best winning percentage entering play on December 14.
We should still learn enough about the Hawks and which path they should take by then.
They are currently 3.0 games out of third place and 3.5 from 11th. Whatever they decide, the Hawks could take a lot of guesswork out of their future planning by picking a lane before the trade deadline.