Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Reddish, Knox, Suggs, Kuzma

January 15th, 2022 at 6:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The reduced role that Cam Reddish had with the Hawks before being traded to New York came about because he expressed a desire to be dealt over the offseason, head coach Nate McMillan told reporters, including Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link), before tonight’s game. Even though the team was beset by injuries and players in the league’s health and safety protocols, Reddish averaged a career-low 23.4 minutes per night in 34 games.

“This year, he made the decision during the summer that he wanted to go elsewhere and play somewhere else,” McMillan said. “So it was tough. It was tough for him to come in and he was a professional. He was a pro. He didn’t do anything through the media, he came in, he tried to work.

“A lot of you guys were asking why he wasn’t in the rotation or why we weren’t doing certain things, and it was we knew that this was something that wasn’t going to, he wasn’t probably going to end the season with us. Unfortunate. I think he has a lot of talent, great kid, and I wish him well. We had a conversation when it happened and he’s looking forward to the opportunity.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Kevin Knox, who was part of the Hawks‘ return for Reddish, has passed his physical and is eligible to play in tonight’s game against the Knicks, Spencer tweets.
Rookie guard Jalen Suggs returned to the Magic’s lineup Friday night for the first time since fracturing his right thumb on November 29, per Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. Suggs, who got off to a slow start, called the injury “a blessing in disguise” after putting up 12 points, six rebounds and seven assists in a win at Charlotte. “It gave me time to sit back and reevaluate the things I was doing, the habits I had, change those to better ones and grow. I needed that,” Suggs said.
Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma is firmly entrenched as a starter in Washington after coming off the bench for the Lakers the past two seasons, notes Jackson Filyo of NBA.com. Kuzma, who narrowly missed his first career triple-double this week, said he benefited from the lessons he learned in L.A. “I credit a lot of my success this season to the last two years, taking a seat and watching some great players play basketball and learning from them,” Kuzma said. “I just knew once I got traded, it was a golden opportunity for me to enhance my game and show everything I’ve learned and what I’m capable of with opportunity. I’m just showing that right now.”

Hawks’ Schlenk: Reddish Trade Sets Up Deadline Strategy

January 15th, 2022 at 9:16am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks dealt young forward Cam Reddish nearly a month before the trade deadline. Atlanta’s general manager and president of basketball operations, Travis Schlenk, said that by making this trade now, he can better assess what to do at the deadline, as Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.

“I’ve seen some people say, ‘Why wouldn’t they wait?’ We wanted to see if just a little tweak would have an impact,” Schlenk said. “This gives us two, three weeks before the trade deadline to see if a small tweak does kind of change the trajectory of the season. So, by doing this early, it gives us that little runway to evaluate. And, you know, again, our hope is that this will sort of change the course of the season for us.”

The Hawks added Kevin Knox and a first-round pick in the deal with the Knicks. Knox probably won’t play much, but Atlanta can now go with a wing rotation of De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter without trying to find minutes for Reddish.

The first-rounder, which Charlotte owed New York, was a motivation factor for Schlenk. It gives the Hawks another asset it can dangle in future deals.

“We feel like this pick from Charlotte, even though it does have protections, I think my analytics group said there’s a 90% chance over the next four years we get this pick, so we think it’s a real first-round draft pick, it’s not a fake first-round draft pick,” Schlenk said. “And the one thing I’ll say about draft picks, everybody values draft picks. Every team might not value a player, but 29 other teams will value a real first-round draft pick.”

Reddish expressed his desire to be moved to a team where he could play more. He was averaging 23.4 MPG in 34 games this season with Atlanta. The Hawks weren’t down on Reddish’s ability but the wing logjam, along with salary constraints that would have made it difficult to extend him, compelled them to comply to his wishes.

“He’s super high-talent. We all see that. He’s got great length, he’s got great size, he’s got great skill level. But we’re trying to blend the team together, as well,” Schlenk said. “So we have to take all that stuff into consideration. He could certainly go on and have an All-Star caliber career, and I wouldn’t be shocked at all by that.”

Coach Nate McMillan was well aware of Reddish’s desire to be moved, but noted the former Duke forward remained professional throughout the season, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets.

“I thought he handled it the right way,” McMillan said. “He didn’t make a big deal about it in the press.”

Trade Rumors: Finney-Smith, Pacers, Mavs, Grant, Howard, Lillard, Harris

January 14th, 2022 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on Michael Scotto’s report that stated teams around the NBA are eyeing Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report says Rick Carlisle was considered Finney-Smith’s “biggest advocate” in Dallas, adding that the Pacers are considered a possible suitor for that reason.

According to veteran reporter Marc Stein, the Mavericks have been trying to get in the mix for Pacers center Myles Turner or Hawks forward John Collins. Dallas may need to part with at least one of Jalen Brunson and Finney-Smith in such a deal — Stein suggests those two 2022 free-agents-to-be have “no shortage of suitors” around the NBA.

However, Stein also points out that in order to make a major move, Dallas may need to find a taker for Tim Hardaway Jr. While Hardaway’s $21MM salary makes him the Mavericks’ most logical salary-matching piece if they make a play for someone like Turner ($18MM) or Collins ($23MM), his production has dipped to 14.5 PPG on .395/.328/.747 shooting through 35 games (30.6 MPG) this season.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the league:

Although Jerami Grant has frequently been cited as a trade candidate in recent weeks, Marc Stein says the Pistons forward isn’t a lock to be on the move. General manager Troy Weaver remains a “staunch backer” of Grant, and there’s a sense he may prefer to hang onto the 27-year-old. However, vice chairman Arn Tellem also has a significant voice in personnel moves, so the decision isn’t just up to Weaver.
Jake Fischer adds Dwight Howard to the list of minimum-salary Lakers veterans who are thought to be on the trade block. DeAndre Jordan and Kent Bazemore are also part of that group.
The Trail Blazers had zero intention of trading Damian Lillard prior to his abdominal surgery and still has no desire to trade him going forward, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
Noting that Gary Harris has had a nice bounce-back season for the Magic, Lowe says contending teams have inquired about the veteran wing as a trade candidate or possible buyout signing. A previous report stated Orlando is seeking a first-round pick in exchange for Harris, but I’m not sure that’s realistic, given his $20MM+ expiring contract, unless the Magic take on some unwanted long-term money.

Hawks Not Looking To Move Knox, Sent $835K To Knicks In Reddish Deal

January 14th, 2022 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

The protected first-round pick the Hawks received in exchange for Cam Reddish was the primary motivator to make the trade, but Kevin Knox may not have just been a salary throw-in. Sources tell Fred Katz and Chris Kirschner of The Athletic that Atlanta has no plans to trade or release Knox right now.
According to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), The Hawks sent the Knicks $834,589 in cash in the Reddish trade. That amount covers the salary still owed to Solomon Hill, so Atlanta didn’t save any money as a result of including Hill in the deal — the team did open up a roster spot though.

Reddish Trade Notes: Other Offers, Details, Grades, More

January 13th, 2022 at 9:06pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hawks traded Cam Reddish, Solomon Hill and 2025 second-round pick to the Knicks in exchange for Kevin Knox and a protected first-round pick on Thursday. According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, the Hawks were interested in acquiring Quentin Grimes, but the Knicks were reluctant to part with the rookie, who was the 25th overall pick of the 2021 draft.

The Knicks are likely to explore other trades ahead of the deadline and are known to be interested in Myles Turner and Jalen Brunson, Begley reports. He mentions that any player on New York’s roster could be on the table for the right return, pointing to Alec Burks and Mitchell Robinson as players who could draw interest, but the Knicks would likely want a top-end starter in return for Burks and/or Robinson.

Teams pursuing Reddish believed he could command a salary in the range of $18-20MM per year on his next contract, whether it be this summer in an extension or as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2023, so Begley thinks the Knicks must be open to that figure, unless they plan to trade him again in the future.

Here’s more on the trade between Atlanta and New York:

Atlanta had been seeking a first-round pick for Reddish for several months and never wavered in its asking price, write Fred Katz and Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. The Pacers, Cavaliers, Pistons, and Lakers were among the teams interested in Reddish, with L.A. recently offering two second-round picks for the third-year wing.
Reddish requested a trade from Atlanta months ago, which led to awkwardness in the team’s locker room, and it was inevitable he would be dealt once a team met Atlanta’s asking price, according to Katz and Kirschner. Reddish was reportedly unhappy with his role as a spot-up shooter and desired more play-making opportunities, which is questionable given he has more turnovers than assists in his career. It’s unclear how he’ll fit in with the Knicks, who have a crowded rotation when healthy, meaning finding more minutes than Reddish was getting in Atlanta (23.4 MPG) could be a challenge. Katz and Kirschner believe the first-round pick Atlanta acquired could be used in a subsequent trade, perhaps for Ben Simmons or Jerami Grant.
Zach Harper of The Athletic and Kevin Pelton of ESPN (Insider link) provide their grades for the trade. They both liked it more for the Knicks than the Hawks.
John Hollinger of The Athletic thinks that the trade is in the eye of the beholder, because while Reddish has the size and talent to be a good NBA player, the idea of him has been better than his actual play to this point in his career. The winner of the deal will ultimately depend on how Reddish develops, Hollinger notes. He adds that Hawks were -10.0 points per 100 possessions with Reddish on the court, compared to +5.7 per 100 when he was off.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks (video link) provides his thoughts on the deal, essentially saying it’s a low-risk, potentially high-reward for the Knicks, but the Hawks got fair value for Reddish too.
Sources tell Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link) that Reddish and RJ Barrett didn’t get along well at Duke, and some in the Knicks’ front office wanted to trade back to draft Reddish in 2019.

Hawks Trade Cam Reddish To Knicks

January 13th, 2022 at 6:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:47pm: The trade is now official, the Hawks announced in a press release. Atlanta received Knox and Charlotte’ 2022 first-round pick (top-18 protected) in exchange for Reddish, Hill, Brooklyn’s 2025 second-round pick, and cash.

The Knicks confirmed in their own press release that they waived Arcidiacono.

10:33am: The Hawks will send Cam Reddish to the Knicks in a multi-player trade, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

New York will also receive veteran forward Solomon Hill and a second-round draft pick in 2025 that originally belonged to the Nets. Atlanta will get Kevin Knox in return, along with a protected first-round pick from the Hornets. The protections on Charlotte’s pick are top-18 this year, top-16 in 2023 and top-14 in 2024 and 2025, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). It will convert to second-round picks in 2026 and 2027 if not conveyed by then.

Atlanta had been searching around the league for a team willing to part with a mid-first-round pick or a young player in exchange for Reddish, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). The Hawks explored several potential trade packages with the Knicks before settling on the final deal, and Woj reports that they also talked recently to the Pacers and Lakers about potential trades involving Reddish.

The 10th pick in the 2019 draft, Reddish has been an explosive bench scorer and a part-time starter during his two-and-a-half seasons in Atlanta. After having much of last season wiped out by injuries, he’s averaging a career-high 11.9 points per game this year while shooting 40.2% from the field and 37.9% from three-point range.

Reddish will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, which is one of the reasons the Hawks, who already have several sizable contracts in place, were willing to move him. He will carry cap hits for the Knicks of $4.7MM this season and $5.95MM for 2022/23, Marks tweets.

Hill, 30, is out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn right hamstring last month. He has veto power over the trade, but plans to approve it, according to Marks. He’s making $2,389,641 on a veteran-minimum contract that will expire after this season.

Knox, 22, had a bright rookie season in 2018/19, but hasn’t been the same player since. He has appeared in just 13 games this season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per night. He is headed for free agency this summer, and the Hawks will have the option to make him restricted, though that seems unlikely.

The Knicks will have to release Ryan Arcidiacono early from his 10-day contract to make room on the roster for an extra player, Marks notes (Twitter link). Arcidiacono’s deal had been set to expire on Saturday night.

Atlanta will have an open roster spot, along with a $1.7MM trade exception. The Hawks will also get a little bit of luxury tax relief, moving from $1.87MM to $2.36MM under the tax threshold.

De’Andre Hunter Set To Return For Hawks

January 12th, 2022 at 6:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward De’Andre Hunter is set to return on Wednesday night for the Hawks after recovering from right wrist surgery, according to Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

In a couple of separate tweets, Spencer notes that Clint Capela and Cam Reddish are out Wednesday due to sprained ankles, so Atlanta’s starting lineup will be made up of Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, John Collins, and Onyeka Okongwu.

We noted on Tuesday evening that Hunter was close to returning to action after participating in a full five-on-five practice. Now in his third year as a pro, the 24-year-old has played just 11 games this season after injuring a tendon in his right wrist which required surgery in November. At the time, the Hawks said he could return in approximately eight weeks, which aligns nearly perfectly with his return date, so it’s great news for both player and team that he’s right on schedule.

Hunter has struggled with injuries in his young career, but he’s shown tantalizing glimpses of improved offense and strong defense in the 34 games he’s played over the past two seasons. Through 11 games (27.8 MPG) in 2021/22, Hunter is averaging 10.8 PPG and 2.7 RPG for Atlanta, currently 17-22, 12th in the East.

Latest On Ben Simmons

January 12th, 2022 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Confirming a recent ESPN report, Sam Amick of The Athletic says the Sixers have indeed explored including Tobias Harris in a potential Ben Simmons trade, broaching the idea in discussions with at least the Hawks and Kings.

As Amick tweets, adding Harris to a Simmons trade is viewed by rival executives as a major obstacle, further complicating negotiations that were challenging to begin with. It has also made those execs continue to question how serious the 76ers are about making a Simmons deal in the coming weeks, since there remains a strong belief their preference would be to wait until the offseason to see if other stars become available.

Although it’s possible Simmons’ suitors will improve their offers by the February 10 trade deadline, Amick says many of those clubs are apprehensive about betting the farm on a player with so many question marks.

According to Amick, some interested teams view Simmons’ years-long “confidence issues” on the court as a separate matter from his recent mental health struggles. Additionally, while the length of Simmons’ contract (which runs through 2025) has been viewed by many as a plus, some clubs have concerns about it, Amick writes. Simmons won’t be able to bolt in free agency anytime soon, but he’ll also be owed $113MM+ over three seasons (2022-25), with no guarantee that he can be trusted to perform like “the best version of himself” for a new team.

Here’s more on the Simmons situation:

Agent Rich Paul met with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and GM Elton Brand today to discuss the situation, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who reports that neither side has changed its stance — Simmons is no closer to returning and the 76ers haven’t lowered their asking price.
Within Amick’s article, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic says the Timberwolves continue to talk to the Sixers about Simmons, but with Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards off-limits, they haven’t been able to meet Morey’s high asking price. According to Amick, multiple rival executives believe that as long as the Wolves technically remain in the running for Simmons, they won’t make any separate deals that might take them out of the mix.
The Sixers have “zero interest” in acquiring Russell Westbrook from the Lakers in a Simmons deal, sources tell Amick. That comes as no surprise — the Lakers’ interest in Simmons has been previously reported, but it never seemed realistic that L.A. could actually make it happen, given the team’s roster construction and limited assets.
In a pair of articles for PhillyVoice.com, Kyle Neubeck considers whether the Hawks would make sense for the Sixers as a Simmons trade partner and unpacks the latest rumors about Harris. Neubeck doesn’t consider Atlanta an ideal fit unless Morey is willing to take back a package of good players instead of continuing to seek a star. He also views the Harris rumors as a sign of the 76ers doing their due diligence on every possible scenario rather than something the team is necessarily focused on.

Scotto’s Latest: Bulls, Hawks, Finney-Smith, Thunder, Rockets

January 12th, 2022 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls figure to explore potential roster upgrades at the trade deadline, but they’re resistant to the idea of moving Patrick Williams, Michael Scotto said on the latest episode of the HoopsHype Podcast.

If the Bulls want to make a major move at the deadline, it may have to involve Williams, 2020’s No. 4 overall pick, since the club has already traded away multiple future first-rounders. Williams’ ability to help the team this year may also be limited, since a wrist injury is expected to sideline him for most or all of the regular season.

Still, based on Scotto’s reporting, it sounds as if Chicago will likely hang onto Williams. One Bulls player who is available in the right deal is 2019 lottery pick Coby White, rival executives tell Scotto.

Here’s more from the HoopsHype Podcast:

Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari could be had for a first-round pick or as part of a larger package, rival executives tell Scotto. I’m very skeptical any team will be willing to give up a first-rounder for Gallinari unless they can dump an unwanted long-term contract on Atlanta. Scotto adds that execs believe Hawks forward Cam Reddish is more likely than not to be on the move at the deadline.
Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith and Thunder forward Kenrich Williams are among the role players on modest contracts who are drawing trade interest from playoff teams, says Scotto. Oklahoma City is obviously more likely than Dallas to be a seller, but rival executives believe there may be an opportunity to poach Finney-Smith since he and Jalen Brunson are free agents in 2022 and re-signing both would likely make the Mavs a taxpayer.
Playoff-caliber teams are also monitoring Rockets veterans Eric Gordon and Daniel Theis, according to Scotto. They’ve been mentioned multiple times this season as potential trade candidates, since they probably don’t fit the timeline of a rebuilding Houston squad.
League sources tell Scotto that Thunder rookie Aaron Wiggins is a good candidate to have his two-way contract turned into a standard deal at some point this season.

John Collins Discusses Trade Rumors, Frustration With Role

January 12th, 2022 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

Hawks forward John Collins has been in the news as of late, with Shams Charania of The Athletic reporting on Monday that the big man is dissatisfied with his role in Atlanta, and Charania’s colleague Chris Kirschner adding that Collins has spoken to Nate McMillan about his offensive role but doesn’t feel like his concerns have been addressed. Charania noted within his story that Collins could even become a trade chip if Atlanta makes a serious play for Ben Simmons.

In the wake of those reports, Kirschner caught up with Collins for a more in-depth discussion. During that conversation, the 24-year-old admitted that he has been frustrated this season by both his role on offense and by the Hawks’ struggles. The team is currently 17-22, 12th in the East.

Speaking to Kirschner, Collins pointed out that his usage rate this season is the lowest it’s been since he was a rookie, but explained that he’s not necessarily asking to get the ball more — he wants his role to be more clearly defined by McMillan, who has said he doesn’t really call plays for the big man.

“I’m not sitting here complaining and saying I need more touches of the ball, or I need to score more points or need more shots. I’ve never complained about that,” Collins said. “All I’ve said, specifically, if there’s a way that I feel like is beneficial for everybody — and not just myself — is for us to be used in the correct way. That’s the angle I’m taking. If I’m saying it, it’s for us. I just want to be put in the best position to succeed, and that’s it. I feel like I’ve sacrificed and have continued to sacrifice as much as I can for the team. I just want to make sure that’s clear.”

Collins shared several more candid thoughts with Kirschner in the Q&A, which is worth checking out in full if you’re an Athletic subscriber. Here are a few more highlights:

On whether his frustration with his role is more acute this season because of the Hawks’ losing record:

“Of course. Everything is harder. My lunches and dinners taste worse. Going to sleep is harder. Everything is worse when you lose. When you win, it covers up a lot of s–t. When you lose, it uncovers a lot of s–t. When you lose, you want the situation to be fixed and figure out a way to handle it, but I know a lot of s–t starts to eke out when you lose like we have. That’s the type of s–t that happens when you’re losing. It’s part of the job.”

On why things are more challenging this season for Atlanta:

“Sometimes having success makes things difficult going forward. I think what we’re dealing with now is understanding the pressure of teams coming harder at us than before after seeing us play deep into the playoffs. Everybody is game-planning for us at a higher level, even though we’re in the regular season. Teams aren’t sleeping on us like we traditionally expected, at least for me, since I’ve been a Hawk. It’s a different situation now when teams come in here.

“It’s not saying we’re not ready, but it’s definitely a change of mentality. I think that sort of shocked us in the beginning and didn’t necessarily get us off to the right start. That’s the only issue I can see. It’s hard sometimes when you have success to repeat it. The East got better too.”

On whether he has had second thoughts about his desire to remain with the Hawks long-term:

“No. That’s why it’s frustrating when I’m mentioned in those kinds of (trade rumors). It always makes my fans, teammates and the organization not know where I might stand. I can’t be responsible for how someone feels when they’re processing what they’re reading. What I’m upset about is, sometimes, I can’t control my own narrative. I do my best to do so, but it’s part of the job. In terms of the Hawks and Atlanta, I don’t need to talk about it because I’ve talked about it enough. This is where I want to be.”