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2023 NBA Awards: 1 dark horse candidate to win each honor

By Jacob Ellerbee

Timberwolves C Karl-Anthony Towns and 76ers C Joel Embiid (Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports)
Timberwolves C Karl-Anthony Towns and 76ers C Joel Embiid (Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Atlanta Hawks
Landry Fields, Atlanta Hawks (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports) /

NBA Awards: Big summer for Hawks’ Landry Fields earns Executive of the Year

There are several General Managers who are already worthy of consideration to be named Executive of the Year after stellar offseason acquisitions. But, Utah’s Danny Ainge and Detroit’s Troy Weaver come to mind as favorites for this award. Ainge, who won the award in 2007-08, is overseeing the rebuild of the Utah Jazz, scoring a treasure trove of draft picks and young prospects in trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell this summer.

As for Weaver, the Pistons GM whom many gave an A+ for his 2022 NBA draft, should also be under heavy consideration. He was able to acquire two potential cornerstones in Jayden Ivey and Jalen Duren to grow and compete with the 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham.

But, Landry Fields, in his first week as GM of the Atlanta Hawks, made a seismic trade to acquire Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs. He also oversaw the signings of Aaron Holiday, Tyrese Martin, and Frank Kaminsky. Plus, he traded Kevin Huerter to replenish their rotation and draft capital.

Fields, 34, was a former NBA player for the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors from 2010-2015 before retiring due to injury. What he’s done at such a young age and so quickly in his first year as a General Manager is outstanding and should be recognized by the voters for his efforts.

A big component of Fields becoming a front runner for this award will largely depend on how well Murray and Trae Young gel and if they can get back to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.