After a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago, the Atlanta Hawks have been a major disappointment in terms of what they were trying to accomplish this season. Although it is still the early part of the season, they sit in ninth place of the Eastern Conference at one game below .500. This wasn't expected as Atlanta was playing like arguably the best team in all of basketball since Nate McMillan was hired mid-year a season ago.
There have been some trade rumors in terms of players that the Hawks are looking to trade and Cam Reddish is certainly going to be one of those from the sound of things. It's interesting why they're deciding to give up on a young kid who has a lot of talent, but he must not fit into their future.
Atlanta is going to have some interesting decisions to make at the deadline if they do decide to trade Reddish. They could pair him with a guy like Danilo Gallinari or maybe a player like Gorgui Dieng. It would make little to no sense for Atlanta to just trade him for a draft pick or two as he could potentially get back a hefty return. They clearly need a second star next to Trae Young so expect them to try to make anything happen in order to do that by trading away some guys.
Let's take a look at three players the Hawks should think about trading at the NBA Trade Deadline.
Hawks NBA Trade Deadline
3. Cam Reddish
It is still unclear about what exactly happened for the Hawks to decide to move on from this kid this early on. This season, he is scoring the ball the best that he ever has throughout his career and he also plays above-average defense. He's essentially everything that a team would want in a young player, which is why it makes it so questionable why the Hawks are willing to trade him. What's even crazier about this situation is that they're reportedly only looking for a first-round draft pick back when they could potentially use him in a package to get back a superstar.
If they are going to trade Reddish, they need to decide on adding somebody else because he's simply too good to just give up for a first-round draft pick. Reddish alone isn't going to get back a superstar, but if they did add somebody like Danilo Gallinari, it would make sense that they could get back somebody of high value because Gallinari is a lockdown 3-point shooter.
2. Gorgui Dieng
Gorgui Dieng is an interesting option because he is a center and he could provide some serviceable minutes when backing up Clint Capela. From the Hawks view, there is essentially no reason for him to still be on the team. With many contending teams wanting a center it would make a lot of sense if the Hawks decided to get rid of him. He's not going to get back a lengthy return by any means but they could potentially get back a second-round draft pick or some cash which could be used on a buyout option for the Hawks.
He doesn't have much of a role on this team which makes it likely he will be traded.
1. Danilo Gallinari
Again, it wouldn't make much sense for the Hawks to decide to give up on Gallinari. There's absolutely no reason why considering that he is shooting the three-point shot at a 41.8% clip this season. The problem is if they're going to look to get back a star player, he might be the best option to pair with Cam Reddish. They already have Bogdan Bogdanovic who could be looked at like Gallinari. Although they are very different players, they both play similar roles in terms of hitting open shots. Bogdanovic is younger so it would make more sense if they decided to keep him.
Gallinari proved last offseason that he still has a lot left in his tank as he is 33 years old. This could be another factor on why the Hawks decide to get rid of him because their future is revolved around two young stars in John Collins and Trae Young.
Gallinari would essentially just be that second trade piece in a massive trade at the deadline, but it would be more likely that they decide to keep him. If they want to get back a player who is going to make an immediate impact and help this Hawks team win an NBA title, Gallinari might have to go.