The Atlanta Hawks will push to envelope as a big sellers
The Atlanta Hawks emerged as an interesting story to begin the year in the Eastern Conference. However, it's pretty clear that over the past couple of weeks, this team has had to endure some true difficulties. The Hawks are currently on a seven-game losing streak and are all of a sudden in grave danger of falling out of the top 10 in the Eastern Conference standings altogether. Adding injury to insult, Jalen Johnson, the team's standout two-way wing, is slated to miss the rest of the season due to injury.
Heading into the final few days before the NBA Trade Deadline, there are clearly some big decisions that the Hawks will need to make about their future. I'm not talking about the likes of Trae Young, who would be quite a surprise if he wasn't still on the roster beyond the trade deadline. No, the Hawks have some big decisions to make on some of the other more veteran players on their roster heading into the deadline. I predict that the Hawks will attempt to embrace the label as sellers over the next week.
And if the recent whispers are any indication, players like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela, and Larry Nance Jr. could all find themselves on the move before the trade deadline. Each one of these veteran players could emerge as a strong piece for a playoff contender and it would be malpractice if the Hawks didn't at least explore what their respective markets would be on the trade block. Over the next few days, I'd have to believe that's something the Hawks are going to work toward.
Will the Hawks end up trading all of these veterans before the deadline? The odds are probably against that possibility. However, it wouldn't be surprising if they did trade one or two of these players. Considering the Hawks are somewhat in a transitional year, this is a team that could benefit from a late embrace of being a seller at the trade deadline. And if the right offer does come across their table, the Hawks should not be afraid to pull the trigger on a deal.