© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Hawks Make No Moves at Trade Deadline
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It was eerily quiet all morning. Like that movie A Quiet Place, except even less action took place. That was until right around noon eastern when 'Woj' and Shams blitzed us with a barrage of tweets. Obviously, the biggest trade was between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. Check out the details below.
As I scrolled through my Twitter timeline, all I saw was trade after trade. Each deal immediately improved teams such as the Nets, 76ers, Hornets, Raptors, and Celtics. But nothing for the Atlanta Hawks. Nothing. Radio silence. My DM's. You get the drift.
The lack of action is bizarre because few, if any, teams were involved in more trade speculation than the Hawks. After Atlanta's front office dealt Cam Reddish and Solomon Hill to the New York Knicks in mid-January, it felt like it was on like donkey kong.
According to various reports, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk was heavily involved in negotiations around the league. Even Schlenk himself questioned if he should have brought back virtually the same team that advanced to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals.
But after months of rumors swirling around John Collins, Kevin Huerter, and company, nothing happened. To be fair, Schlenk is a consummate straight-shooter, and he did tell 92.9 FM The Game on Tuesday morning that he doubted any trades were going to occur. Journalists and fans alike didn't know if he was being honest or just posturing for ongoing negotiations.
Well, now we have our answer. The Hawks are officially running it back with the same team as last year sans Reddish.
Personally, I believe the inaction at the trade deadline was a rare L for Schlenk. You cannot afford to stand pat in the NBA. The league is never stagnant. It's an arms race to see who can acquire the most talent before the playoffs roll around.
As much as I love all of the guys on the Hawks roster, I would be lying to you if I said they are currently capable of winning a championship (especially after today).
The good news is that as long as you have Trae Young on the roster, then you're going to make noise in the playoffs. I'll always bet on Young. But even Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James had a second or third All-Star by their side during their championship runs.
Of course, no move is better than a bad move. But there have been plenty of mutually-beneficial trades orchestrated between rival teams this week, and there is no reason why one of them couldn't have been the Hawks. The roster is perfectly configured for a consolidation trade.
After today's missed opportunity, our focus shifts to the upcoming buyout market. It's almost time for disgruntled veterans around the league to start jumping ship from losing teams to title contenders. However, those late additions rarely make a tangible difference.
But again, I'll repeat that as long as Young is in a Hawks uniform, they are a dangerous team. In the words of our fearless leader, "Another Day, Another Opportunity." Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.
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