Atlanta Hawks: 2017 NBA Trade Deadline Outlook

Open to Offers

Paul Millsap, Tim Hardaway Jr.

To be very clear, this is not to say that the Atlanta Hawks should trade either of these players. In fact, all recent indications from within the organization would suggest that Paul Millsap and Tim Hardaway Jr. will stay and play key roles in whatever this season becomes.

What would seem unwise from an Atlanta perspective — something they’ve already done in regards to Millsap — would be to categorically deny either player’s availability, though.

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There’s a distinct possibility that the Hawks may not decide to re-sign either player this summer in free agency, while they may not even be the destination of choice for Millsap by the time he gets to consider all available offers. With that in mind, not at least considering what may be available for a player who could well hold no value to you just over 30 games from now, would be a short-sighted path to take.

Still, ultimately deciding not to move either in spite of an offer could be understandable.

Millsap has been the team’s best player since the moment he signed on with Atlanta in 2013. Sunday will mark Millsap’s fourth consecutive All-Star appearance as a Hawk, and even at the age of 32, he remains the team’s standout contributor on both ends.

In Hardaway’s case, the wing will be a restricted free agent in the summer, coming off the back of the strongest spell of play in his entire career. Scoring at a career-high rate on efficient shooting numbers means there’s good reason why Hardaway’s value to the Hawks in the coming months is just too much to give up.

If the decision is to see what this team can do for one last run, the Hawks will likely need to keep both of these players. If they have what would be valid doubts over whether either player can maintain their current levels for years to come, they owe it to themselves and the road ahead to at least avoid dismissing out of hand any serious offers for Millsap or Hardaway.