The Atlanta Hawks were expected to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference heading into the 2025-26 season. But just like any other team that needs to integrate a few new parts, the Hawks needed time to jell. Alas, time is not a luxury for this Hawks team. They recently lost Trae Young to a knee injury that would keep him out for a minimum of four weeks, and that sprained MCL is not something Atlanta would want to rush him back from.
But with Young's absence, the Hawks have not been able to get into any sort of groove. They fell to 4-5 on the season after losing for the second time this campaign to the Toronto Raptors, as they could not get anything going on the offensive end during their Friday night NBA Cup contest.
With Young out, the Hawks needed the likes of Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to commandeer the offense. The offense scuffled all night long; they ended the night shooting 34.4 percent as a team (23.7 percent from beyond the arc), sorely missing the pull-up threat and elite playmaking that Young provided at the point.
This roster is specifically constructed for Young to thrive; he needs rangy and lengthy defenders around him, which is why the Hawks brought in Alexander-Walker and Porzingis in the first place. But without Young to drive this team, they look lost, with the likes of Johnson and Daniels having to expand their games into a role that they aren't quite equipped or qualified for.
Will the Hawks panic? Perhaps not. They will look to bide their time until Young returns. Until then, they will look to remain afloat in the weaker Eastern Conference.
There should be no panic in these Hawks. But this is one trade that they should pursue if they could.
Hawks pry away Keon Ellis from the Kings
Hawks trade: Vit Krejci, two second-round picks
Kings trade: Keon Ellis
It seems counterintuitive for the Hawks to target yet another player who is not a ballhandling and playmaking shot-creator in the mold of Young. But those players come few and far between in today's NBA, and they are not for trade. Someone like Luka Doncic or James Harden, masters of heliocentric offense, could command this offense, and so could Austin Reaves. LaMelo Ball is also someone who can thrive in this sort of roster.
But those players aren't realistic trade targets, especially when Young is going to return in the near-future. Aside from the fact that those players aren't exactly available on the market, getting those players would require Atlanta to overhaul their roster without even giving a chance to this current iteration of the team.
The point guard market is dry; Ja Morant is not going to be a realistic target as well. Someone like Jordan Poole or CJ McCollum make too much money. Poole's even injured, so it's not like he won't be of much help if the Hawks were to acquire him. Anfernee Simons is also someone who might be making far too much money for the Hawks' liking.
Collin Sexton is one viable candidate, especially when the Charlotte Hornets are going to be bad yet again this season. But Sexton is making around $18.1 million this season, so it's impossible to bring him in without giving up someone like Alexander-Walker or Kennard — something the Hawks will not want to do.
But what if instead of trying to cover for what Young does, they double down on their defensive and athletic-oriented identity so they could make a push towards the top of the standings once their star floor general returns?
Enter Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis.
Ellis, the undrafted guard out of Alabama, has shown himself to be one of the best lockdown defenders in the league whenever he gets minutes. He was starting to get minutes for the Kings towards the end of the 2023-24 season, and he was instrumental in their play-in tournament win over the Golden State Warriors during that year, as he chased down the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson through screens and hounded them en route to poor shooting nights.
But since then, Ellis has found it difficult to carve out a consistent role for himself on the Kings rotation. For some reason, the Kings' head coaches (Mike Brown and Doug Christie) have been hesitant to just make the starting shooting guard role his, favoring the more offense-oriented Malik Monk and Zach LaVine.
Making matters worse for Ellis is the fact that the Kings went out this past offseason to sign two more guards, Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook. This crowded the Kings' backcourt even further and has pushed him so far down the depth chart that he's barely getting any minutes — playing just a few during Sacramento's NBA Cup loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
It makes no sense for the Kings to not play Ellis when he's the exact kind of low-usage, defensive-minded player they need to pair alongside their more ball-dominant stars.
With Ellis falling out of favor with the Kings, the Hawks should swoop in and buy low on him.
Ellis would form quite the defensive trio alongside Alexander-Walker and Daniels, as he will help cover for Young's deficiencies on that end of the floor. He has considerable offensive limitations, but he can make open shots; he's shooting over 40 percent from deep yet again this season in limited minutes.
No Hawks fan will forget soon how Ellis poured in nine three-pointers last year for the Kings in a 109-108 win for Atlanta. He can make it rain from beyond the arc, and he'll feast so often with Young feeding him and the Atlanta coaching staff trusting him with an increased role.
Ellis should not worry about a crowded backcourt in Atlanta. They may have Young, Daniels, Alexander-Walker, and Kennard, but those players at least complement each other. There is a lesser probability that his toes get stepped on in Atlanta.
As for the Kings, they at least are getting two second-round picks for a player they clearly have no interest in featuring.
