Ben Simmons To Trae Young’s Atlanta Hawks
Brooklyn Nets Receive: F/C John Collins, C Onyeka Onkongwu
Atlanta Hawks Receive: G/F Ben Simmons
What do you do when your team is built around one of the best offensive guards in the NBA when he happens to be one of the league’s very worst defensive players?
That’s the dilemma the Hawks face. Granted, they’ve already taken steps to rectify the problem this summer. Trading for Dejounte Murray gave them one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the NBA. Could they go a step further?
Yes, the Hawks will be trading one problem for another here. On the offensive end, neither Dejounte Murray nor Ben Simmons complements Trae Young on paper.
With that said, the route towards making this work isn’t impossible to see. Realistically, Ben Simmons may be forced to accept a new role as a pick-and-roll finisher on whichever team he ends up on.
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Meanwhile, Murray’s shooting could easily improve. On the other hand, between Ben Simmons, Dejounte Murray, and Clint Capela, the Hawks could suddenly have one of the league’s best defenses in spite of rostering Young.
As for the Brooklyn Nets, it’s hard to predict their next moves with Durant’s trade request pending. This deal ought to benefit them no matter the outcome.
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If Durant stays, Collins should be a more complementary player than Ben Simmons for him and Irving. If they leave, adding the 21-year-old Onkongwu is a great first step towards what projects to be a rebuild.
