Atlanta Hawks: Should They Look To Make Trades?

The Atlanta Hawks got their offseason business done relatively quickly. They made a draft day trade for Tim Hardaway Jr., traded for Tiago Spliiter, and re-signed Paul Millsap.

With the exception of DeMarre Carroll, the 60-win Hawks band is back together and preparing for another season. This Hawks team enjoyed great success last season. Unfortunately, the Hawks’ great season concluded in depressing fashion, with a sweep at the hands of LeBron James‘ Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Atlanta is a good team, but without a superstar, there are questions about whether they have what it takes to compete for a title. Can Paul Millsap really be the best player on a championship team? Do the Hawks have enough depth to beat teams like the Warriors, Spurs, or Cavs? These are issues that the Hawks have to deal with going into the season.

Most of the good free agent pickings are gone, but the Hawks can explore the trade market to improve their team. The important debate is whether the Hawks should break up what they have and gamble on making changes.

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Atlanta is certainly a more well-balanced team on paper than it was previously. The addition of Tiago Splitter gives the Hawks the kind of rebounding and interior defense that was a weakness last season. The flip side is that the loss of Carroll will hurt the team on both ends of the floor.

If there is one issue for the Hawks, it would be depth. The loss of Thabo Sefolosha for the 2015 NBA Playoffs left the Hawks without reliable bench contributors. Dennis Schroder averaged nine points per game for Atlanta in the playoffs, and he was really the only reserve Atlanta could rely on. With Sefolosha now likely a starter, the Hawks will again have the same bench contributors that won’t be able to hold up through injury or deeper teams.

In making up hypothetical trades for Atlanta, the first question is who should Atlanta move? Al Horford had been the subject of trade rumors for years until this season. With a crowded frontcourt, Atlanta should maybe look to find a replacement for DeMarre Carroll. If the Hawks prefer to make a smaller trade, less important role players like Mike Muscala, Shelvin Mack or Mike Scott might be useful in trying to find an additional player, likely a backup forward to play behind Sefolosha.

However, the Hawks also have a very set roster than can win a lot of games. They already have more bigs than they can really find time for, and they have five guards who can play competent basketball. A team like the Hawks forms an identity of continuity and chemistry. Breaking up that chemistry is something the Hawks tend to shy away from, which is why letting Carroll walk was especially painful.

So the ultimate issue is this: On one hand, the Hawks’ bench outscored opponents by 2.3 points per 100 possessions in the regular season, then utterly collapsed in the postseason. This issue is complicated by the fact that Sefolosha, an underrated part of the Hawks’ success, is likely to be promoted to starter. He is supplanted in the rotation, at least in part, by Hardaway, an addition disliked by Hawks fans and carrying a high associated risk.

On the flip side, there is a reasonable argument that they should stand pat with the team they have. Adding further rotation players will likely require Atlanta to mess with their group, a group that won 60 games and has mostly good things on its resume. They can point to the fact that the bad bench performance, particularly from Schroder and Kent Bazemore in the first and third rounds, were bad breaks. If the Hawks were a) healthy or b) had their bench players not on cold streaks, they could’ve matched the Cavs and maybe won a title.

Ultimately, the answer to whether the Hawks should explore making a trade to change their rotation is, like many questions in sports, too complex to just say “yes” or “no.” The Hawks have a good thing going, but it may not be good enough.

Atlanta should definitely put out feelers on the market, to use a tired cliché. If they can move Horford or a group of smaller players, perhaps a pick, to add to their rotation, particularly at small forward, they should. They also should not force themselves into panic trades. The most important takeaway is that the Hawks should follow a policy I refer too often. Do not commit to one path or another. They should be flexible and pragmatic in using the trade market as a way to construct a championship roster.

Next: Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson Needs To Be Traded ASAP

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