Unsurprisingly, the Atlanta Hawks are enduring another season filled with losses. This could lead them to move some veterans ahead of the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline.
Let’s cut to the chase: The Atlanta Hawks are not a good basketball team. As of Jan. 15, they rank near the bottom of virtually every offensive and defensive category, including offensive and defensive rating, leading to an underwhelming 13-30 record.
At this point, the Hawks have a much better chance of nabbing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft — essentially winning the rights to Duke super-athlete Zion Williamson — than they do of making the playoffs.
Of course, this was always meant to be a rebuilding season for Atlanta, with the focus being on developing rookie guards Trae Young and Kevin Huerter, as well as young incumbents like John Collins and Taurean Waller-Prince. Thus far, the results have been mixed.
With Atlanta clearly out of the postseason hunt, general manager Travis Schlenk and the rest of the Hawks’ brain trust may look to use the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline to accrue some future assets in exchange for the few veterans they have on the roster. Of everyone on the roster, these three players are the likeliest to get shipped out prior to Feb. 7.