Hawks Still Lack Star Power Alongside Trae Young After Deadline
The NBA Trade Deadline is behind us, and the Atlanta Hawks made moves that left fans questioning the front office. Currently ninth in the Eastern Conference, three games under .500, the team has produced inconsistent results. They have impressive wins against the top teams in the East, posting 2-1 series records against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Milwaukee Bucks. Keeping that momentum against lesser opponents has been the downside. The Hawks struggle facing teams they should beat, and it has become their identity. Injuries have also been an issue; most recently losing Jalen Johnson who was playing at an all-star level. Johnson was constantly in and out of the lineup night to night before being put on ice with a torn labrum in late January. The young forward was averaging 18.9 points per game and playing well defensively.
This year’s deadline was the most headlined in NBA history. The Dallas Mavericks traded superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. This trade shocked the entire sports world after ESPN insider, Shams Charania, reported the news just after midnight on February 2nd. Other big names were traded around the league as teams aimed to enhance for the playoffs or looked to rebuild for the future. The Hawks moved as the latter part as they made minimal splashes in the trade pool. They moved away from former fourth-overall pick De’Andre Hunter. Hunter has underwhelmed since entering the league in 2019 but has been playing well as of late. The need to trade Hunter was necessary in the team’s eyes as his value was elevated after averaging 19 points this season. Fans were up in arms after the move given that Hunter was finally playing up to his draft pick. Bogdan Bogdanović, a Hawks fan favorite, and Cody Zeller were also moved. In return, Atlanta received Caris LeVert, Terance Mann, Georges Niang, Bones Hyland, and draft picks. All of whom are solid role players, but none who truly move the needle to give the Hawks faithful hope to secure a playoff spot.
The Hawks haven’t won a playoff series since the 2020-2021 season when they lost in the Conference Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks. Since then, fans have been critical of the lack of effort the front office has shown to bring a star alongside Trae Young. Young has been extremely committed to the organization during this process and continues to be a top offensive point guard in the league. He has voiced his frustrations with the team’s lack of recent success, and fans understand he may eventually demand a trade. After multiple years of trade rumors, Atlanta has kept Young and attempted to build through the draft. They were awarded the number one pick in the 2024 lottery and selected Zaccharie Risacher from France. A young star in his own right, Risacher has been a development project, only averaging 11 points per game. In 2022, Atlanta made a trade for Dejounte Murray, hoping he would be the backcourt piece to pair with Young. The two sides were never able to coexist on the court together and that experiment concluded after two seasons. The search for a dynamic big man or versatile wing player continues for Atlanta, as they look to hit in the next draft and in free agency. They can only hope their star Trae Young will be willing to stay patient during the process.
