The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the teams who may have exceeded expectations halfway through the season. So far, they’ve been able to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics twice, and also have wins against the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks. They also have some tough defeats, recently losing back-to-back games to the Toronto Raptors and two earlier in the season to the Washington Wizards.
Health has played a major part in the Hawks’ success so far this season, and they’ve been dealing with injuries to most of their key players. That has affected the depth and put players on the team in unfamiliar situations. As of now, they’re suffering injuries to several key spots, but the most important area where they’re lacking depth is point guard.
The Hawks need depth at point guard
Earlier in the season, Kobe Bufkin was set to be the backup guard behind Trae Young. Things didn’t start the way, as the Bufkin was sidelined with a shoulder injury, something that had been bothering him before the season. While Bufkin was sidelined, the Hawks had to use players such as Vit Krejci and Dyson Daniels to take over when Young was on the bench, and sometimes they would bring up Keaton Wallace from the G-League.
Bufkin eventually returned and took over the backup point guard duties, and though he started slow, he found his footing the more games he played. Suddenly, Bufkin was removed from the rotation, and his minutes were given to Krejci. After a while, the Hawks announced that Bufkin would miss the remainder of the season with an injury to the same shoulder.
The Hawks have been using Krejci and Daniels as backup guards, but it has also put pressure on Young to do more and play more minutes. If the Hawks want to conserve Young throughout the season, they may need to invest in a real option at backup guard.
Lonzo Ball could be an option at backup guard
Not many quality backup point guards have been mentioned in trade talks this season, but if the Hawks wanted a real option, the one that makes the most sense is Lonzo Ball. The Chicago Bulls guard just returned after missing the past few seasons recovering from a knee injury, and they’ve been slowly bringing him back into the fold. Before his injury, Ball was an instrumental part of the Bulls’ success with his defensive capabilities and offensive playmaking.
Ball is still showing those qualities in a limited form this season, and several teams seem to be interested in him. The Hawks have not been mentioned, but he would be the guard that they need to back up Trae Young. Ball is just averaging 6.6 per game, but his ability to find his teammates and knock down open shots is a plus.
On defense, Ball is longer than most guards at the position, which can help him defend multiple positions. If Ball was on the Hawks, they could also play him alongside Young to help him get open shots and play off the ball. The Hawks have been solid on defense this season, and adding Ball might make them better.
What would the Hawks give up for the trade to work?
The Hawks have made it known that they want to stay under the luxury tax, so that means they don’t want to bring in too much salary, but they also want to get off the salary of some players on the team. There’s a chance that either Clint Capela or Bogdan Bogdanovic could be traded before the deadline, and either one of those players could be traded to the Bulls for Lonzo Ball. Another player the Hawks could consider trading is Larry Nance Jr., but he has played well at center whenever Capela or Onyeka Okongwu is out, and he’s also been playing with Jalen Johnson out.
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