We have reached December 16th, one day after players who were signed in free agency can be included in trade and 52 days until the trade deadline on February 5th.
For the Hawks, they have two players who meet the former criterium: Nickeil Alexander-Walker (highly unlikely to be traded given his production and contract length) and Luke Kennard (an expiring contract who very well could be on the move).
The Hawks don’t play again until Thursday, so let’s take a moment to delve into the recent rumors and
pertinent updates on injured players.
Trade candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo
I talked here about the Giannis Antetokounmpo saga recently in regard to what happens if a trade with the Hawks or Knicks goes down between now and the trade deadline. There has been some recent sourcing from connected people around the NBA on this ongoing melodrama in the past few weeks.
Eric Nehm of The Athletic just yesterday shed some light on the idea that Milwaukee still wants to appease Antetokounmpo. Instead of entertaining trades for him, they may instead add to their team this trade season:
Five months after the Bucks’ stunning decision to waive Damian Lillard en route to adding big man Myles Turner on a four-year, $107 million deal, it appears they aren’t waving the white flag on Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee just yet. Instead, league sources said they’re considering making yet another significant addition that might aid their chances of convincing him to stay.
Additionally, there’s little smoke connecting Antetokounmpo to the Hawks despite the picks they own. Per Chris Haynes of the NBA on Prime and NBA TV:
I think the Knicks have interest in Giannis—strong interest. The Miami Heat have interest in Giannis. The Golden State Warriors have had interest in Giannis for a long time. The San Antonio Spurs. The Minnesota Timberwolves. The list goes on and on. Ultimately, for Giannis, wherever he lands, I think he’d prefer some sun, probably a big market. Outside of that, he wants to be on a team that can contend for a championship. He’s been very clear that this is a top priority for him throughout his career
There is a little less than two months between now and the trade deadline, and so circumstances can quickly change in that time period. But for now, with an extension in the offseason absolutely imperative for any team trading for the two-time MVP, it seems Atlanta will merely monitor the situation from the sidelines for now.
Trade candidate Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis is the most recent star linked with the Atlanta Hawks this trade season. After the (immediately) ill-fated Luka Doncic trade and the Mavs’ slow start this season, it seems a shakeup is in store in Dallas.
League sources indicated to Shams Charania of ESPN that the Atlanta Hawks are among the teams expected to be a suitor for Davis. ‘AD’ is still a premier defensive force in this league and skilled scoring big, but his injury history, age, and salary (including an extension opportunity in the near future) should give teams like the Hawks a bit of pause.
Davis makes $54.1 million this season, $58.5 million next season, and has a player option for $62.8 million in 2027-28. Do the Hawks really want to give up assets for a 32-year-old player with their young roster? Or will the asking price from the Mavericks be so low as to entice a team like Atlanta? Who knows, but it’s an interesting wrinkle to watch for going forward.
Trae Young
Trae Young has only played five games this season due to a knee sprain he picked up in a game against the Brooklyn Nets. Young has been re-evaluated a couple of times since that incident, and the breadcrumbs are indicating that he is close to returning to action.
Could we see him in the lineup for the next game on Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets?
On Saturday, December 13, the Atlanta Hawks issued this statement regarding Young:
Guard Trae Young sustained a right knee MCL sprain on Oct. 29 at Brooklyn. He continues to increase his reconditioning activities and is expected to return to practice next week. His status will be updated as appropriate.
If all things go as expected, he’ll re-join practice with the Hawks — although no word on his actual status for games yet. So, if his injury designation changes from “out” to “questionable” for Charlotte when the report is released tomorrow afternoon at 5 PM EST, that could be a really good sign on this front.
Young has documented his rehabilitation process in a vlog series on his Youtube channel, if you’re interested in a behind-the-scenes look at the progress.
Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis opened up about his fight with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), something that hindered his performances with the Celtics in the past two seasons. The hope was that the Latvian international was over this ailment when the Hawks acquired him this summer, but with him missing some recent games officially with “illness”, it has quickly become clear that those hopes have faded into the ether.
To date, Porzingis has only played 13 out of a possible 26 games this season — and unfortunately, that ratio is about to get a lot worse. On Sunday, the Hawks released the following statement:
Center Kristaps Porzingis has missed multiple games while dealing with a recent illness. To ensure he continues to make progress toward a full recovery, he will continue this period of limited basketball activities and evaluation for two weeks, after which time his status will be updated.
What does that mean for his status with the team going beyond that? Well, Marc Stein shines a bit of light on his Substack blog the Stein Line on Sunday saying, “any significant trade business that Atlanta does in-season is expected to include the $30.7 million expiring contract held by Kristaps Porziņģis.”
If you ask me, it sounds like the Hawks simply can’t count on his availability anymore, and his expiring deal would then be a great way to grease the wheels of any big trade executed. We’ll have to stay tuned on this front.
Jacob Toppin
Toppin is someone that impressed in Summer League, and he was looking to use that momentum to crack the rotation for the Hawks on a two-way contract. Unfortunately, while playing with the College Park Skyhawks, he suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder a couple of weeks ago — something that will cause him to miss the remainder of the season.
Now, on Monday, the Hawks waived him from his two-way contract to allow them to sign someone else to that open roster spot. All the best for Jacob Toppin going forward.
