It feels like an eternity has passed since the Hawks beat the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Trae Young celebrated the win by pretending to roll dice on the Knicks' logo at Madison Square Garden. The narrative about Young "owning" New York reemerged.
If only it were true. Atlanta hasn't been able to capitalize on its success in 2021 when it made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray in the 2022 offseason in a move most people thought would be a positive. Having two ball-dominant guards didn't work. After two seasons, Atlanta traded Murray to New Orleans last summer.
The Hawks have had some impressive wins this season, but they're not a top team in the East. Atlanta sits No. 9 with a 23-38 record, three games back from the No. 6 spot. Young is averaging a double-double with 23.2 points and 11.5 assists, but he didn't hear his name called as an All-Star reserve.
The Hawks' hopes of winning a championship with Young are becoming slimmer by the day. On Thursday, their already low chances of doing so dropped significantly.
Atlanta traded forward De'Andre Hunter to Cleveland (the best team in the East) for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks, and pick swaps. Shortly after, they traded Bogdan Bogdanovic and three second-round picks to the Clippers for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland. Their most recent move was trading Cody Zeller and a second-round pick to the Rockets.
Hawks fans are desperately trying to figure out what's going on, but it's clear that the front office has shifted its focus to the future. The way that they're going about it is completely baffling.
The Hawks are the first team in NBA history to tank while not owning their pick. How does Deandre Hunter for Caris Levert and Niang get us better at all??
— The Hood Therapist (@OhhMar24) February 6, 2025
Hawks are confusing everyone with their trade deadline moves
Atlanta does not own its 2025 first-round pick. San Antonio does. The biggest winner of the Hawks' deadline moves is the Spurs. Atlanta won't even reap the benefits of the trades it made, at least not this year. What exactly are the Hawks tanking for?
They now have Mann, who averaged a disappointing 6.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game with the Clippers this season, shooting 44.6% from the field and 34.7% from three. He hadn't lived up to the three-year, $47 million extension he signed with LA before the season began. Maybe that'll change in Atlanta.
Hyland addressed the Hawks' need for a backup point guard, but he fell off after being traded by the Nuggets before the 2023 deadline.
Things don't look bright in Atlanta (at all), but hey, it's music to the ears of fans in New York!