We aren’t even a quarter of the way through the season, and many national pundits are already talking about the Hawks blowing up their roster. That’s not what Atlanta fans were hoping for following the trade to acquire Dejounte Murray. As of today, the Hawks sit at 10-7 — not too shabby — but anybody who is paying attention can tell this team is missing the critical pieces necessary to be considered championship contenders.
The star power is evident in the backcourt. Young and Murray are two of the best in the business. The Hawks also have an elite center tandem in Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu. Unfortunately, after that, the outlook is bleak. John Collins’ usage has plummeted with Murray in the fold, and it feels like a matter of time before he’s traded. Teams are also inquiring about Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the latter of which is the “most available,” according to Michael Scotto of Yahoo! Sports.Â
That tidbit blows my mind a little. If there are two things the Hawks are missing, it’s shooting and depth, which is exactly what Bogdanovic provides. Atlanta already traded Kevin Huerter during the offseason and is now the worst shooting team in The Association. Are they attempting to play 90’s bully ball with multiple centers on the floor and nobody that can shoot?
There’s a reason nobody plays like that anymore, but Bogdanovic will have plenty of teams interested, including the Suns, who Kevin O’Conner of The Ringer has linked to the Serbian sharpshooter.Â
On last week’s episode of The Mismatch I reported that Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanovic is another target for the Suns.
League sources say Bogdanovic remains on Phoenix’s radar; he checks a lot of boxes as a shooter, ball handler, and rock-solid defender. But he hasn’t played yet this season while recovering from offseason knee surgery.
It’s important to remember that the Suns could potentially package Crowder’s $10.2 million deal with Landry Shamet ($9.5M), Dario Saric ($9.2M), and Torrey Craig ($5.1M), plus add draft picks as sweeteners. The Suns can get pretty creative to find an ideal return in multiteam trade scenarios involving a wide number of organizations that’ll be active in the coming months.
A healthy Bogdanovic would do wonders for the Hawks, but that’s just the thing. He can’t seem to stay healthy, and the front office might be finally reaching its breaking point. I’m not sure what is going to happen over the next couple of months, but the Hawks are a team to watch when it comes to trades. I expect multiple players to be on the move, and it’s time to wonder if Atlanta has the right guys calling the shots when it comes to the team’s personnel.
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Photo: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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