The Atlanta Hawks were widely expected to ship out two veterans at the trade deadline. But when the dust settled Thursday evening, Hawks fans were surprised to find out it wasn’t the two vets they expected.
Bogdanovic totaled career lows in points (10.0) and three point percentage (30%) this year while continuing to battle chronic knee issues. Bogdanovic’s steep physical and statistical decline made him a prime candidate to change teams, and veteran center Clint Capela has likewise endured John Collins level speculation about his future in Atlanta. Thus Hawks fans were shocked when the team instead shipped De’Andre Hunter – the team’s second leading scorer and a favorite for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award – to the conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
Why Hunter?!? In the midst of a career year, in a seemingly ideal role, and locked up for the foreseeable future (until 2027)? While it’s true his trade value had reached at an all-time high, why trade one of the team's best and most consistent players just as he FINALLY begins to fulfill the promise of being a top-five pick??? Here is my best attempt to answer that.
Pros
Strengthens the Hawks bench
Sheds current and future salary
Adds shooting
Adds shot creation and athleticism to the bench
Sold high on Hunter while he was both healthy AND playing well
The season-ending injuries to Jaylen Johnson and Kobe Bufkin coupled with the abrupt decline of Bogdanovic left the Hawks with a disturbingly little depth. Fans could easily mistake Atlanta's second unit for the SkyHawks as Keaton Wallace, Dominick Barlow, and Mo Gueye have gone from regulars on the College Park G-League team to playing consistent rotational minutes for the big club. While they have mostly over-achieved to this point, a rotation full of two-way players isn't ideal for a team that at one point climbed as high as fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Hawks also got off the $69 million owed to Hunter over the next three years, though one could easily argue that's fair market value for a big wing that plays defense and gives you 19 PPG on decent efficiency. They replaced his salary with the expiring contracts of LeVert, Hyland, and Niang allowing them significantly more financial flexibility moving forward. According to www.spotrac.com the Hawks have potentially cleared the deck for significant salary cap space headed into the 2025 offseason.
On the court, the Hawks desperately needed another shooter to replace the sagging Bogdanovic production, a second ball-handler to replace Bufkin, and a slasher/shot creator to replace Jalen Johnson. In Johnson's absence the Hawks have devolved into a woefully one-dimensional jump shooting team, which has unfortunately has been coupled with a prolonged slump that has seen the team shoot 28% from three over the last few weeks and drop nine of their last twelve games. In short, they desperately needed reinforcements.
They get shooting in Georges Niang (career average of 40% from three), ball handling in reserve PG Bones Hyland, and shot creation in athletic wings Terrence Mann and Caris LeVert. In a vacuum, these additions check a lot of boxes on both ends of the floor.
Cons
Acquired an unimpressive haul of assets
Lost one of their top-three players
Sold low on Bogdanovic
Were unable to move Clint Capela
It’s hard NOT to feel like the Hawks lost by trading away a peaking 27-year old for an older version of the same model in Caris LeVert. LeVert peaked from 2019-2022 averaging over 18 PPG in three consecutive seasons with high of 20.2 PPG during the 2021-2022 season. He has since transitioned into a very reliable bench wing averaging double digit points on 37% from deep over the last three seasons. LeVert is also an underrated playmaker, averaging 4 assists per game for his career while providing solid-ish defense. In short, LeVert is a good NBA bench player. Had HE been the return for Bogdan Bogdanovic, Hawks fans would (or should) be ecstatic since he is younger, cheaper, and has been much more effective this season. But to acquire him to replace a younger, more productive player who the team had locked up for multiple years is head scratching to say the least.
Again, there is something to be said about selling high on Hunter, who has had large portions of career derailed by chronic knee issues. It’s just going to be hard for fans to get excited about acquiring a lesser player on an expiring contract along with a number of late picks and pick swaps that might never actually convey.
What Next?
An optimistic Hawks fan would point out that the team has potentially cleared out massive salary cap space for the 2025 offseason and can load up on free agents to augment (or paper over) the lack of offensive fire power outside of Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. However, the more seasoned (A.K.A. “cynical”) Hawks, fans would point out that Jalen Johnson's extension kicks in at $30 million next year and the team will still need to pay Dyson Daniels. That could eat up a great deal of cap room for a team historically reluctant to spend big free agency money because of owner Tony Ressler's unspoken mandate to avoid breaching the luxury tax.
The 2025 free agent class is low on star power but high in quality rotational NBA guys that could provide upgrades over Vit Krecji, Garrison Matthews, Kobe Bufkin, and Mo Gueye – three of whom are still very unproven at the NBA level.
In other words, the Hawks aren’t likely to take swings at aging and/or expensive stars like James Harden, Khris Middleton, Fred VanVleet, Kyrie Irving, Brandon Ingram, or Julius Randle. But any of two of the players below could help transform the Hawks bench back into the dominant unit that powered Atlanta's promising peak back in December.
Bruce Brown
Myles Turner
Naz Reid
Dorian Finney-Smith
Dennis Schroder
Steven Adam
Bobby Portis
Kelly Oubre, Jr
Kevon Looney
Jonathan Kuminga
Malik Beasley
While only a handful would qualify as legitimate needle movers (Turner and Reid especially), imagine bringing Steven Adams and Dennis Schroder off your bench for roughly the same amount you would have paid De’Andre Hunter over the next two years. Or picture Bruce Brown and Bobby Portis bringing their grit and championship experience to the Hawks second unit while remaining under the luxury tax the Hawks continue to lie about avoiding. This has to be at least part of the logic in moving a proven but declining vet like Bogdanovic and an ascending but injury-prone 27-year old like Hunter for what many feel is an underwhelming return.
Will it work?
Fields has a long way to go to earn Alex Anthopolous levels of trust from Hawks fans. He essentially traded John Collins for basketball cards and bubble gum in 2023, then turned
around this past offseason and poached Dyson Daniels from the Pelicans in a shrewd move to end the underachieving and ill-fitting Dejounte Murray-Trae Young partnership. A trade that many Hawks fans initially criticized now looks like the steal of the 2024 offseason.
In summary, the Hunter trade was less about the return it netted this year and more about the flexibility it netted for the immediate years to come. In essence, you traded Hunter for the contracts of whatever free agents you pick up this offseason, and did it while acquiring just enough talent to keep the on-court product competitive. For this trade to become a “win” the Hawks have to absolutely nail the 2025 free agency cycle. It’s the most “Hawks” move imaginable. Fans are supposed to look to the future while the team fails to deliver a winning product for the fourth consecutive year.
Sigh.
Let’s just pray it works.
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