Why The Hawks Are Looking At Trades

[Jody23]

 

http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-am-why-the-hawks-have-to-look-at-deals/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

From Basketball Insiders:

It should come as no surprise that the Atlanta Hawks are kicking the tires on what’s possible in trade as the February 18 deadline approaches. The Hawks are not the team they were a year ago and they face some tough choices this summer regarding the direction of the team.

It is important to state that at this point in the NBA season, virtually every team in the NBA is talking about something; that’s the nature of the due diligence process all teams go through before the deadline. Talking about deals does not equate to a willingness to consummate one. So let’s keep that front and center.

The biggest question facing the Hawks is the future of big man Al Horford. He is headed toward unrestricted free agency and what could be a maximum starting salary that could be as high as $25.5 million, depending on where the salary cap ultimately lands.

The Hawks have to decide if their future is better served keeping Horford, a huge part of the team’s identity, or using that cap money elsewhere. There is also the question of whether Horford would want to stay in Atlanta or explore his free agent options, something the Hawks have no real control over.

If the Hawks decide Horford is not in their future, then things get interesting. What does he return in a possible trade? Or are the Hawks better off playing out their year, making a playoff run and using the cap space he could create in July?

With Horford off the books, the Hawks project to have roughly $25.9 million in usable cap space, assuming the final 2016-17 salary cap comes in at the expected $90 million mark.

While that’s a hefty number, it’s really just a single maximum salary slot to replace a huge chunk of the team.

This is where the rumors of the Hawks shopping point guard Jeff Teague come into play. If the Hawks have decided that Horford is likely gone in July, then a top down rebuild may be necessary. Teague could return a ton of value, not only in a final run with Horford on the team this season, but also in shedding Teague’s $8 million 2016 salary.

Teague has not exactly played to his All-Star form from last season and he and guard Dennis Schröder seem to be battling for the same job. Going forward, Schröder might be the better long-term answer as the starter and Teague could return a lot in trade, especially around the deadline or even the 2016 NBA Draft.

The other wrinkle is the fate of big man Tiago Splitter, as he too carries a hefty 2016 cap hit worth $8.55 million and hasn’t been great since arriving in Atlanta.

There are two schools of thought from league sources, the first being if the Hawks opt to move Teague then they may try and force Splitter into the deal. Moving off both Teague and Splitter, along with a free agent departure of Horford, could get the Hawks to over $49.2 million in usable summer-of-2016 cap space.

The second thought is that if the Hawks know they are losing Horford, then Splitter could take his place at a far cheaper price. Hanging on to Splitter changes the cap space math a bit, pushing the usable space from $49.2 million without him to $41.26 million with him.

The Hawks have been pretty adamant that they are simply doing due diligence and that nothing is close to happening. However, the math in all of it suggests that if the Hawks are not certain about their future, exploring and ultimately consummating change may be an inevitability, especially with the team sitting roughly three games above the .500 mark and having lost five of their last 10.

 

[capstone21]

It would be a mistake to let Al walk ... even with free agent dollars we have proven time and time again that we are not a free agent destination.

 

[Diesel]

Whole lot of speculation and a lack of facts.   NEXT!!

[Lurker]

I'll say what I've said elsewhere. If the Hawks are letting Horford walk, and that seems like there's a good chance of it, that means they're rebuilding. They're still over .500, but this really smells like the 2014 Braves and that ended up in a full blowup rebuild.

[Diesel]

3 minutes ago, Lurker said:

I'll say what I've said elsewhere. If the Hawks are letting Horford walk, and that seems like there's a good chance of it, that means they're rebuilding. They're still over .500, but this really smells like the 2014 Braves and that ended up in a full blowup rebuild.

I don't think so.   I can see them maybe going after players who fit the system.  Something like Ryan Anderson and Ajinca for Horf.

 

 

[Lurker]

2 minutes ago, Diesel said:

I don't think so.   I can see them maybe going after players who fit the system.  Something like Ryan Anderson and Ajinca for Horf.

 

 

There's been at least two sources that have said already that if Horford walks Atlanta is blowing it up completely and doing a full rebuild.

[SalvorMallow]

Typical worthless Basketball Insiders article.

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, Diesel said:

Whole lot of speculation and a lack of facts.   NEXT!!

Sounds like they are reading the Squawk!!!  Nothing we haven't discussed.

[macdaddy]

1 minute ago, Lurker said:

There's been at least two sources that have said already that if Horford walks Atlanta is blowing it up completely and doing a full rebuild.

I just can't help but point out that sources are always right.

I don't think Bud believes in that type of rebuild.   Ferry didn't.  I guess it's possible Bud thinks differently

[pimp]

1 hour ago, capstone21 said:

It would be a mistake to let Al walk ... even with free agent dollars we have proven time and time again that we are not a free agent destination.

 

Yet we signed guys like and Sap and   Joe Johnson. 
We wont get a superstar if we let Al walk. But its not like we are loosing one either if he walks.
We could still sign some very good players, to help improve this team. 
Don't give Horford 25 million out of fear of free agency . That's just giving up flexablity in order to remain the same team that can't rebound worth a damn.

Edited January 28, 2016 by pimp

[hylndr11]

and then lose him anyway..................

[Hawkmoor]

55 minutes ago, pimp said:

Yet we signed guys like and Sap and   Joe Johnson. 
We wont get a superstar if we let Al walk. But its not like we are loosing one either if he walks.
We could still sign some very good players, to help improve this team. 
Don't give Horford 25 million out of fear of free agency . That's just giving up flexablity in order to remain the same team that can't rebound worth a damn.

but horford can spread the floor...........lmao

 

 

 

 

 

[tonegully]

We can not afford to let Al walk. Who will replace him? We will be battling for the top pick. I would prefer to move Teague and Splitter together. Splitter is not earning his paycheck so far this year.

[capstone21]

1 hour ago, pimp said:

Yet we signed guys like and Sap and   Joe Johnson. 
We wont get a superstar if we let Al walk. But its not like we are loosing one either if he walks.
We could still sign some very good players, to help improve this team. 
Don't give Horford 25 million out of fear of free agency . That's just giving up flexablity in order to remain the same team that can't rebound worth a damn.

You forget that Joe was actually traded here and Sap was not a highly sought after free agent ... he signed here for a very small deal in order to get a bigger one.

[Lurker]

39 minutes ago, tonegully said:

We can not afford to let Al walk. Who will replace him? We will be battling for the top pick. I would prefer to move Teague and Splitter together. Splitter is not earning his paycheck so far this year.

That's fine as this team is not winning anything with Al as a cornerstone piece. Move everyone and do a full rebuild.

[pimp]

1 hour ago, capstone21 said:

You forget that Joe was actually traded here and Sap was not a highly sought after free agent ... he signed here for a very small deal in order to get a bigger one.

UMM  we signed Joe as a free agent .. It was a sign and trade because Joe was a restricted free agent, and we had to give the Suns something to keep them from matching our offer sheet.
Sap, wasn't as highly sought after as Paul and D12 , but i'm sure plenty of team would have loved to have signed him at the price we paid. All the so call experts agreed that signing was a bargin at the time .
We let Josh walk and got Sap for 5 million cheaper , and brought in DMC as well.  Worked out well didn't it? 
 

[macdaddy]

7 minutes ago, pimp said:

UMM  we signed Joe as a free agent .. It was a sign and trade because Joe was a restricted free agent, and we had to give the Suns something to keep them from matching our offer sheet.
Sap, wasn't as highly sought after as Paul and D12 , but i'm sure plenty of team would have loved to have signed him at the price we paid. All the so call experts agreed that signing was a bargin at the time .
We let Josh walk and got Sap for 5 million cheaper , and brought in DMC as well.  Worked out well didn't it? 
 

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/6/30/4454510/2013-nba-free-agents-ranking-list-dwight-howard-chris-paul

Sap ranked 11th in the free agent glass of 2013.   Laughably behind:  Bynum, Josh Smith,  AK47, and Splitter(#10).   I reality he was a top 5 free agent that year

 

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, pimp said:

UMM  we signed Joe as a free agent .. It was a sign and trade because Joe was a restricted free agent, and we had to give the Suns something to keep them from matching our offer sheet.
 

It's been over 10 years since it happened, but I still get annoyed in thinking about this very instance. Billy Knight should have never engaged in a sign-and-trade that involved Boris Diaw and two first round draft picks (one of which they sold!). BK should have either offered only Boris (since Woody didn't know how to use him anyway) or forced Phoenix to match the offer sheet. Also, Belkin should have never made us look like fools and dragged the team into court battles. But as we have seen, all factions of the ownership were shit to begin with.

But yes. One hundred percent yes to the idea that the Hawks acquired Joe Johnson with Cap Space, much like how the Hawks also acquired Paul and DeMarre with Cap Space. I think to avoid the whole semantics argument of "well he wasn't signed as a free agent!" (technically true, but technically stupid to say outloud) you should just refer to Cap Space.