How This Trade Impacts Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks came into the offseason looking for ways to shed some salary. Things are going to get very expensive soon for the Hawks as they start handing out extensions to lock in their young core.
Trae Young and John Collins signed contracts that will pay them a combined $332 million over the duration of their deals. Money was part of the reason that they were shopping Cam Reddish reportedly during the offseason and it is the reason they would take part in a deal like this.
Patrick Beverley and Taurean Prince are both on expiring deals, which would help them clear cap space for the 2022-23 season. They would have a little more maneuverability and flexibility when it comes to the cap than they would with Gallinari. His contract is only partially guaranteed for $5 million but would become fully guaranteed for nearly $21.5 million on June 29th, 2022.
Beverley would also help the Hawks backcourt defensively. They do not have many options when it comes to plays that can get stops at the guard position. His defensive ability could enable Nate McMillan to play him alongside Young, as he is a more than capable 3-point shooter as well.
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Prince would be joining a very crowded depth chart on the wing. De’Andre Hunter, Solomon Hill, Jalen Johnson and Reddish are all listed as forwards. Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic can also both shift over to the wing in some lineups.
Collins and Clint Capela are entrenched as the starting frontcourt, so it would be hard for Prince to carve out a role with all of the competition already in place behind them.
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Ultimately, this is a deal that the Hawks would get behind. They have been trying to move Gallinari for a little while now to get some salary-cap relief. Trading him for two expiring deals is exactly what Atlanta would be looking for.
