Hawks: What to expect from the newly acquired Delon Wright

The Braves weren’t the only Atlanta team making trades yesterday, as the Hawks got in on the action early last night, when it was announced Tristan Thompson would be coming to Atlanta for Kris Dunn, Bruno Fernando, and a 2023 second-round pick. I originally thought this was Travis Schlenk addressing the backup center position behind Clint Capela after it was revealed Onyeka Okongwu would undergo shoulder surgery and miss six months. However, soon after, it was reported as a three-team trade, with Tristan Thompson heading to Sacramento and Delon Wright coming to Atlanta, which is an even better result for the Hawks.

The most pressing need for the Hawks before yesterday was a backup point guard. With Lou Williams set to test free agency, Atlanta needed to bring in at least one more point guard, even with the addition of Sharife Cooper, who they drafted in the second round of Thursday’s draft. In a lot of ways, Wright kills two birds with one stone. At 6’5″, he can play either guard position. His playmaking will allow him to run the offense when Young is off the court, and his defense and shooting gives the Hawks even more depth on the wing.

Last season, Wright shot 46.3% from the field and 37.2% from deep, averaging 10.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. He’s basically an upgraded version of Kris Dunn, who the Hawks moved in the deal to acquire him. I expect him to be the backup point guard next season, but I still wouldn’t be opposed to bringing Lou Williams back, especially after the way he handled himself as a veteran leader for this young Hawks team. Following the acquisition of Wright and assuming John Collins will be back, the Hawks’ only real need as free agency approaches is behind Clint Capela. They need another backup center with Onyeka Okongwu missing some time. Other than that, there roster looks to be pretty much set heading into the 2021-2022 season unless, of course, Travis Schlenk has more trades up his sleeve.

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