2024-25 Insider Thread

[AHF]

With the completion of the first round of the 2024 draft, we turn the page on the prior thread and open a new one.  Welcome to the era of Risacher.

 

[JTB]

@AHF Can you add @NBASupes and @Sothron last few comments from the last Insider thread to this thread so we can start off the conversation with that ?

 

 

[NBASupes]

This is information I shared yesterday before the draft with the insiders only.

The Hawks have been heavily shopping for Centers. Kessler and Ayton for example are guys the Hawks have called about. 

Hawks are strongly looking for win now packages for Murray but are open to pick heavy ones. 

Dre and Capela are clearly available for trade with both getting interest around the league. 

Garrison Matthews could end up traded tonight.

Kobe Bufkin could be on the move for the right young player like Kessler. That said, this is unlikely at this point. 

The Hawks aren't close to done yet. 

[Afro]

I just wanna know on what planet is Ayton a good idea? 

I went to bed wondering if the Hawks might get closer to another move and I wake up to an Ayton rumor. 

What are we doing here lol. 

Edited Thursday at 11:16 AM by Afro

[JayBirdHawk]

Until @AHF gets around to it. Here is @Sothron post from 4 hours ago:

Quote

We tried several times to get back into the draft but the price wasn't what we were willing to pay.

So now that the first round is over I can share some things:

Why we didn't pick Sarr: It had nothing to do with his refusing to work out. I want to get out in front of this because the last thing this FO needs is yet more doubts in the national mind about them.

Sarr has motor issues. Sarr has problems on where he fits on offense. Sarr does not see himself as a center. He barely sees himself as a 4. He thinks he can be a SF hence why his offense is very heavy on face up shooting. He is shy about physical contact. He doesn't screen well. He doesn't rebound well. He doesn't box out. Some of that is from scheme because in the NBL they just wanted him to roam like a free safety and contest shots or switch out.

The worst thing for him in the Hawks eyes was he kept saying in private interviews and in workouts with other teams that got back to the Hawks (folks talk around the league) that Sarr was always talking about "me" and never "we".

I know most of you turn your nose up at "Hawks DNA" but I swear on a stack of bibles as an Orthodox Christian they really stand by that. They want "we" first players that will play whatever role the team needs and are willing to sacrifice stats for the team. In all the interviews the team had with ZR and also, I have to add, Reed and Clingan, those guys screamed "Hawks DNA" to the Hawks...and Sarr came across as "Anti Hawks DNA".

In addition, for those who want to know why we didn't play hardball with the Wizards: the Wizards would have just taken ZR. Seriously. You can't pull a power play like that unless you know 100% it won't backfire. If we had taken Sarr who the FO and especially Quin was sour on ...we are stuck with him. The Wizards take ZR who almost EVERY TEAM in the NBA had as the #1 best prospect in the draft.

We did not do the Spurs trade because the Spurs saw the difference between 4 and 1 as almost the same value. They were willing to move up but not worth, to the Hawks, the difference between going from 1 to 4 and taking a massive PR hit on top of not getting back enough value.

When I was saying in the draft thread about wait for the Spurs...it was up to that moment that we knew the Spurs were just going to stand put and take Castle at 4 and not trade with us. 

We now start to focus on offloading contracts. ZR can play both 2 and 3. DJM and Hunter are ready to be moved. For all the talk about Capela...well, there's one team already reaching out to us and has been talking to us already.

The Blazers have to unload Ayton because they can't afford him and Clingan and Time Lord. They want to send us Ayton.

I have...serious concerns about Ayton. In the past I was high on him because he has a lot of tools but remember the "Anti Hawks DNA"? Yeah...Ayton is that cat. I have major concerns about his motor and his wanting to get stats. He has real talent. I just don't know if he can be coached up like how Quin reached Hunter. Not that Hunter was that selfish or had a bad motor but he was set in his ways and Quin had to coach it out of him.

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Ayton: 2yrs/$34 and $35 million. What does a deal look like?

[REHawksFan]

4 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Ayton: 2yrs/$34 and $35 million. What does a deal look like?

Sending DJM home to pacific NW would be a massive overpay unless the deal was for multiple players and picks. 

Does DJM and Hunter for Ayton and Matisse plus picks do anything for you? 

Blazers don't need Clint and Hawks may want to hang on to Hunter for depth.  So I'm not sure. 

 

[Afro]

6 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

Sending DJM home to pacific NW would be a massive overpay unless the deal was for multiple players and picks. 

Does DJM and Hunter for Ayton and Matisse plus picks do anything for you? 

Blazers don't need Clint and Hawks may want to hang on to Hunter for depth.  So I'm not sure. 

 

Oh it does something for me... The Hawks just won't like what that something is lol. 

[AHF]

 

 

 

 

[AHF]

31 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Ayton: 2yrs/$34 and $35 million. What does a deal look like?

It looks pretty terrible.  We don't have the cap space to waste on someone who could very realistically be a downgrade to Capela.  We also need an impactful return from trading DJM.  This wouldn't qualify in my book.  You don't trade your top asset for a liability another team is desperate to unload without getting paid in picks.

[ShayD]

28 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Ayton: 2yrs/$34 and $35 million. What does a deal look like?

They better get this right, because if this team is bad next year and are stuck with Aytons contract after picking Risacher over Sarr and Reed, then they in real trouble.

Just be aware the team still needs depth 

[AHF]

@thecampster - Risacher needs to hit hard to make passing on the potential of those trades look like a good move.  Crossing my fingers that Risacher comes out of this as clearly the best player from this class.  Would put all of this to rest and shut up the 95% of us who didn't want the Hawks to take him at #1.

[JayBirdHawk]

29 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

1. Sending DJM home to pacific NW would be a massive overpay unless the deal was for multiple players and picks. 

2. Does DJM and Hunter for Ayton and Matisse plus picks do anything for you? 

Blazers don't need Clint and Hawks may want to hang on to Hunter for depth.  So I'm not sure. 

 

1. I did not even consider DJ to Portland, lol.  Unless Sharpe is coming back

2. That sounds AWFUL

 

[Hawkish]

45 minutes ago, Afro said:

I just wanna know on what planet is Ayton a good idea? 

I went to bed wondering if the Hawks might get closer to another move and I wake up to an Ayton rumor. 

What are we doing here lol. 

Ayton doesn’t seem to pass the Hawks DNA test.  Odd

Also, I would think Bufkin has a higher ceiling in his role than Kessler has in his.

[Hawkish]

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

1. I did not even consider DJ to Portland, lol.  Unless Sharpe is coming back

2. That sounds AWFUL

 

No way the Ayton rumor can include DJ.  We would be helping Portland by taking him.  I would hesitate sending Hunter for him.  

[ABH]

14 minutes ago, AHF said:

@thecampster - Risacher needs to hit hard to make passing on the potential of those trades look like a good move.  Crossing my fingers that Risacher comes out of this as clearly the best player from this class.  Would put all of this to rest and shut up the 95% of us who didn't want the Hawks to take him at #1.

Risacher will be better than Sarr..ithink he be a good fit here

[JeffS17]

49 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Until @AHF gets around to it. Here is @Sothron post from 4 hours ago:

 

Thanks, great post @Sothron. This all tracks with what Ive seen and heard from the two players.  This is why my comp for Sarr is a mix of Reddish and Ayton, two other decidedly me-first players.  And this is all logically intuitive as to why there was not some lucrative trade down option, even of we had trades on our board we would have been willing to execute.  

I appreciate Landry and crew blocking out the noise and sticking to their vision for what they’re establishing as Hawks culture.  I feel better about the future than I have in past seasons but there is still a lot of wood to chop before we get on the court this season.

[JayBirdHawk]

12 minutes ago, Hawkish said:

No way the Ayton rumor can include DJ.  We would be helping Portland by taking him.  I would hesitate sending Hunter for him.  

CC, Bruno and Mathews for Ayton works from a salary perspective.

But then we are paying $34 mil for a guy that just doesn't cut it.

[AHF]

4 minutes ago, ABH said:

Risacher will be better than Sarr..ithink he be a good fit here

Sarr wasn't a part of anything that @thecampster posted.  He was pointing out that we had offers from Portland and SA which could have led to some juicy combinations.

For Risacher, I am hopeful that he will fit here.  We need good wings.  We need shooting, size and defense on the perimeter.  If he works out he will definitely make us better.

[REHawksFan]

25 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

1. I did not even consider DJ to Portland, lol.  Unless Sharpe is coming back

2. That sounds AWFUL

 

To be very clear, I wasn't advocating for that deal.  I was just looking for what worked financially.  It really doesn't seem like Portland is a good trade partner.