The Atlanta Hawks made no serious roster moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Fulfilling Cam Reddish's trade request by shipping him off to the New York Knicks was the only trade they made. Despite having one of the worst defenses in the league and not having a highly reliable second option behind Trae Young, they didn't make a splash of any kind.

The Hawks not making any major moves may be a reason why they miss the playoffs this season. They are 26-29 and in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic detailed how the Hawks pursued but failed to land three of the biggest names that were dealt.

Ben Simmons, who Atlanta has fixated on for months, finally got traded. But it was the Brooklyn Nets that landed Simmons after trading James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Hawks' offer started at John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and draft picks. Kirschner reported that the Hawks knew they were out of the race once Harden became available.

The Hawks also made calls regarding CJ McCollum (who the Hawks were linked to leading up to the deadline) and Derrick White, but their respective teams had asking prices that were too high for Atlanta's taste. White, though, could have been added for Bogdanovic and a single first-round pick. The Hawks weren't interested in that trade.

Atlanta's refusal to pony up for White allowed the Celtics to swoop in and add him. McCollum eventually got traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. This year's trade deadline was among the busiest ones in recent history. The Hawks were left out of the fun and could find themselves out of the playoffs just a year after being a finalist in the Eastern Conference.