With Tim Hardaway Jr. playing some of the best basketball of his career to date, the Atlanta Hawks have some important decisions to make prior to the trade deadline.
It’s no secret that the upcoming trade deadline has the potential to be a very busy one for the Atlanta Hawks.
Having already traded away stalwart shooter Kyle Korver, the Hawks find themselves in a position that’s hard to gauge. If anything, their stance may even change multiple times between now and when the deadline passes.
As a team that lacks an abundance of young talent and will have All-Star forward Paul Millsap hitting the free agency market this summer, Atlanta seems like a logical trade partner for win-now teams willing to give up future assets for a potential missing piece in the now.
On the other hand, the Hawks are still above average. For those who are really optimistic, they could even still be described as good.
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Currently tied with the Toronto Raptors for the fourth spot in the East with a record of 30-21, they may even finish with home-court advantage in the first round by season’s end.
Holding an Eastern Conference-long streak of nine straight seasons making the playoffs, there aren’t many franchises with such a strong recent understanding of how it can only take a team peaking at the right time and getting their share of luck to have a surprisingly deep run.
Even the most ardent Hawks fan would likely acknowledge that a championship should be well beyond their team at present, but there’s a reason why the organization may be curious to see this season through.
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The Hawks have spent years being burned in the postseason due to their rebounding deficiencies, but with Dwight Howard manning the middle that’s no longer the problem it once was.
Could that be enough to make Atlanta a tougher out this time? There’s no way of knowing for sure unless they see it through.
This leaves the Hawks in limbo. Not only do they have to weigh up their current pursuits with what they’re building in regards to Paul Millsap (allegedly off the market for now) and veteran defender Thabo Sefolosha, but also with starting wing Tim Hardaway Jr.
Hardaway had already stepped into a bigger role for Atlanta, but has seen his influence expand even further since Korver’s departure. The result has been what’s looking like a career year in progress for the 24-year-old.
In 18 games since the turn of the year, Hardaway is averaging 15.6 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 41.7 percent from behind the three-point line.
When he’s been given the opportunity to start, Hardaway’s scoring numbers take a further jump to 17.5 points per game.
Most notably, Hardaway helped the Hawks to complete a major late comeback against the Houston Rockets on the road last Thursday, as he scored 33 points including 23 in the final period.
So, as time ticks down to the deadline and the Atlanta front office assess all of their options, what’s in play for Hardaway’s future? What could, and more importantly should the Hawks do? Let’s take a closer look.