Why The Atlanta Hawks Do The Deal

Perhaps the most obvious solution to the Hawks’ new problem is to simply stagger Murray and Young as much as possible. Ideally, they’ll maximize Murray’s time on the floor when defense is needed, and Young’s when the Hawks need buckets.

In theory, that works, but in practice, they’ll probably need more guard depth in order to do so. This deal has them landing a possibly overqualified Terry Rozier as a sixth man.

Granted, the Hawks already have one of those. Rozier has the potential to step on Bogdan Bogdanovic’s toes. On the other hand, he’s simply a more impactful offensive player. If the Hawks want to stagger Young and Murray, they can’t hesitate to make an upgrade.

Moreover, Bogdanovic has the positional size to hold down ample minutes at the 3 spot. There will still be plenty of room for him in the rotation following this trade.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Atlanta Hawks & Charlotte Hornets Updates

All told, this deal helps to maximize the Young/Murray pairing while freeing up minutes for the promising Onkongwu. Does it help the Hornets enough to make it worth their while?