Knicks: Reacting to 3 potential Atlanta Hawks trades

Contrary to the last trade idea, this Hawks – Knicks swap would take me about 12 seconds to accept

Okay…..NOW we’re talking.

Hawks fans should thank the heavens that the guys over at Soaring Down South don’t have any pull with Atlanta’s GM, Travis Schlenk.

While this deal would somewhat hinder the Knicks’ plans on competing in the East come playoff-time a bit, it’s too good a deal to pass up.

Onyeka Okongwu has drawn comparisons to the likes of Bam Adebayo, one of my favorite non-Knicks players to watch play the sport of basketball. While he hasn’t done much to support those claims as of yet, the potential is just too good to pass up if this trade were on the negotiating table.

What intrigues me the most about Okongwu is his ability to shoot from mid-range and deep. While the Hawks are yet to allow Onyeka to “let them fly” from 3-point range, some of his college stats prove that the potential is there. Okongwu only shot 25% from deep during his days as a USC Trojan, but his free-throw percentage was pretty good, at right around 72%.

As some may know, a player’s free-throw numbers usually directly correlate with their ability to develop a solid long-range jumper, so with the proper handling, Okongwu could really live up to his pre-draft hype.

Adebayo took a few seasons to really find his footing in the NBA as he didn’t really break out of his shell until his 3rd season. Okongwu’s early struggles should not deter the Knicks from inquiring within if the former Trojan truly does have a ceiling that looks similar to that of Bam.