The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, while the Hawks stood by failing to make a substantial addition. Of course, Travis Schlenk traded Cam Reddish weeks ago for Kevin Knox and a protected first-round pick, but Knox has been relegated to the bench, only getting minutes sparingly.
The notable name the Hawks were reportedly interested in was Ben Simmons, who has yet to play a single minute this season. Simmons in Atlanta is definitely something I could get behind because of how well his skill set complements Trae Young‘s. Unfortunately, nothing came to fruition, and now we know why.
According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Schlenk didn’t offer anything close to what Daryl Morey wanted in exchange for Simmons.
There was a lot of speculation that the Hawks could make more moves before the trade deadline passed Thursday afternoon, but, ultimately, they didn’t. The Hawks were active with Philadelphia in Ben Simmons negotiations, but what the Hawks were willing to offer wasn’t going to be close to what Daryl Morey wanted.
Details of the trade:
- Nets receive:Â Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, two first-round picks (2022 and 2027)
- 76ers receive:Â James Harden, Paul Millsap
The Hawks don’t have a player of Harden’s caliber, so the compensation in a hypothetical trade would’ve been enormous. Even still, the 76ers needed a perimeter creator able to distribute out of the pick-and-roll with Joel Embiid, which the Hawks don’t have outside of Trae Young.
Hawks fans may be upset with Schlenk that he didn’t do anything to improve the team at the deadline, but sometimes it is better to do nothing than overpay. The Hawks are just entering their championship window; now isn’t the time to sell out and go all in.
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