Why The Atlanta Hawks Do The Deal

Well, if the rumor mill is to be trusted, they already did.

The Atlanta Hawks were one of the most frequently linked teams to Simmons building up to last year’s deadline. There is some intuitive logic in the pairing. Simmons, for all of his warts, is one of the very best defensive players in the NBA.

Inversely, Young, for all of his gifts, is one of the worst. That dynamic alone is worth exploring. If anyone can make up the ground that Young cedes on the defensive end on a nightly basis, it’s Simmons.

Meanwhile, the collective floor vision between the two is tantalizing. It could make the Hawks one of the toughest covers in the NBA. The Hawks would put on the league’s premier passing clinic every game. It would, if nothing else, be something to see.

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They’d have to make further adjustments to this roster. Landing a stretch big man would be the first order of business. Assuming they could make that happen, the addition of a healthy Simmons could very well make the Hawks a more dangerous team in 2022-23.