The benefits of the Atlanta Hawks' draft-day trade of AJ Griffin

The Atlanta Hawks have finally started making moves after they were strangely quiet at the trade deadline. The catalyst for this change was the franchise winning the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, which was the first time they selected first in a draft in almost 50 years.

As a result of selecting Zaccharie Risacher as the No. 1 pick meant that the Hawks had an excess of wings. As a result, the Hawks needed to move one of their contracted players on and the one that made the most sense to send out was AJ Griffin.

There are a number of positives about this move for the Hawks front office. Firstly, they managed to move $3.9 million off their books next season and $5.9 million off their books the season after. Yes, the Hawks could have simply declined Griffin's team option but then they would have received nothing for a first round pick from two seasons ago.

The Atlanta Hawks are building towards a true identity.

Coach Snyder had a mandate when he took over the team to improve its defense. Well, despite Dejounte Murray having previously made an All-NBA defensive team, he was a non-factor on defense for the Hawks. This meant that he was a solid offensive creator but did not have the impact on the team that the front office and coaching staff wanted him to.

Now, thanks to the Murray trade, the Hawks have surrounded Young with defensively minded wings. Unfortunately for Griffin, he did not fit that mould. It is fair to say that he tried on defense but never really fit the system.

Now that the Hawks have moved on from Griffin, they can focus on getting another player into their system to help move the franchise forward. Nikola Djurisic flashes great potential with his scoring, and playmaking, as well as a solid defender, when he is switched on,

While his scoring lacks consistency, being on an NBA roster with top-level coaches usually improves players shooting. Griffin showed no signs of improving defensively and the Hawks need players who are going to be effective on that side of the ball.

This is the true benefit of the Griffin trade. With the rest of the Hawks moves of the offseason, they are starting to develop a defensive identity as a franchise. This identity is what is going to propel the Hawks into deep playoff runs in the future if they can achieve complete buy in from the entire roster.