How This Trade Impacts Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks have been looking to shed some salary this offseason. Things are going to get expensive very soon for the Hawks, as they begin locking their players into extensions to keep their core around.
Trae Young, John Collins, and Clint Capela all signed extensions this offseason. Numerous more players will be in line for extensions soon, so the front office was looking to get ahead of things and start moving some salary now.
Danilo Gallinari was one player mentioned as a possible trade candidate, and in this scenario, they find a taker for him in the Sacramento Kings. However, this isn’t a deal the Hawks would likely consider.
Buddy Hield has three years remaining on his contract, while Gallinari has two. Hield’s contract deescalates every year, but the added money would likely be a no-go for Atlanta. Even if they hold onto Gallinari, his 2022-23 contract is not fully guaranteed, so they could save money waiving him after the season.
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But, should this be a deal that happened, Hield would provide the Hawks with another sniper from long-range. Atlanta was surprisingly slightly below average in 3-point volume but they were slightly above average in percentage. Hield would provide efficient high-volume, adding another element to their offensive attack.
But, he would have to earn his playing time. The Hawks are deep across the board and his lack of defense and diversity in his game would make it difficult to find consistent minutes unless other moves were made.
