The Atlanta Hawks suffered yet another loss, this time to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The outcome was not totally unexpected with the Hawks down three starters and some key reserves.
Still, they have now dropped five straight with the 2025 trade deadline just 10 days away.
Their schedule does not do them any favors, either, so it is not inconceivable that the Hawks begin fielding calls and move some players. If they do, there must be a limit.
Hawks’ only decision on Jalen Johnson should be how to keep him healthy
The Hawks do not have many players they should refrain from taking trade calls on, but Johnson arguably tops the list (which will be more notable later). In his fourth season out of Duke, the former No. 21 overall pick has proven capable of anything on the floor.
His greatest challenge has proven to be staying on it.
After a rookie season spent in the G League, and then a sophomore season where he was used as a reserve, Johnson battled wrist and ankle injuries in 2023-24.
This season, he has been nagged by a shoulder issue only to have his other should force him out of the lineup mid-game two outings ago. Rather than be concerned, the Hawks should focus on how to keep Johnson active.
He has taken steps to overcome his other issues.
That is why this should not be a concern as much as an obligation to help a player overcome what is seemingly the only thing that can hold him back in his development.
For all he does when healthy, Johnson is also a relative bargain. He will begin a five-year, $150 million contract next season. At 22 years old, investing even more into – rather than divesting from – Johnson should be the goal.
Zaccharie Risacher is coming along just fine
Rookie No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher returned to the floor from a FIX THIS absence with an adductor issue. Risacher has not shot the ball particularly well this season, and that continued in his return.
He had 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting, canning two of his six three-point attempts against the Timberwolves. He also added 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals with just 2 turnovers.
Risacher is averaging a 10.5/3.5/1/2 line while slashing .403/.281/.713 this season.
The Hawks have also missed Risacher’s defense. The 98 points per 100 possessions they allowed to the Timberwolves on Monday is their third-best mark of the season, per Cleaning The Glass.
Risacher’s shot should come along, especially with the resources at his disposal.
Trae Young would have to ask, and even then…
This would be a fine and obvious spot for Dyson Daniels. But the idea that the Hawks must trade Young is bound to resurface. It never really went away. That does not make it the correct decision.
Young remains the key to the Hawks’ offense, and he makes sense as a core piece at 26.
The Hawks can follow through on their vision of building around Johnson and Risacher. But they better have a plan to replace Young and the multifaceted way he impacts the offense when on the floor.
Young’s contract situation adds urgency to the situation. But organizations fool themselves into believing they can wait for a title window that will probably never open.
The issue the Hawks really face is they left themselves with limited options.
They would not benefit from tanking since the San Antonio Spurs control their draft picks through 2028. The draft picks they do have to trade have changed in value from when they first acquired them, though their own future assets could hold significant value if they go all-in.
Moving Young during the season leave the Hawks with a limited swath of suitors. That alone is reason enough to hold off on a deal.
But Young is still a really good player that the Hawks would be hard-pressed to replace.