As the NBA season progresses, more and more trade rumors come to light. Today we’ll dive into how the rumors surrounding the Atlanta Hawks can have a massive impact on your fantasy basketball squad.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Hawks are willing to build their team around Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. Stein only mentions Young and Johnson but I personally think that they're going to build around Onyeka Okongwu as well. "Atlanta is determined to, as one source described it, 'build around Trae and Jalen Johnson' going forward with the new coach Quin Snyder, " Stein wrote. With this in mind, that means that Dejounte Murray, Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic are all available in potential trades.
Dejounte Murray
Dejounte Murray was showing all-star caliber stats in his last season with the San Antonio Spurs. Murray was averaging 8.3 boards, 9.2 dimes, two steals, and 21.1 points when he started in the 2021-2022 season. Later, Murray was traded to Atlanta, and his stats went lower than everyone in the fantasy world expected. As a Hawk, Murray has been averaging five boards, 5.7 dimes, 1.5 steals, and 20.6 points.
Murray has been good, for sure, but not as good as he was with the Spurs, where he started his career. The Hawks definitely need to move him and keep Young as their primary floor general from now on. No - there's no point for them to start tanking. Young is only 25, and in his prime.
REPORT: Dejounte Murray is a potential trade target to keep an eye on for the Warriors, per @anthonyVslater. pic.twitter.com/Umb6JYdmjh
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdan Bogdanovic is a 31-year-old sharpshooter is averaging 17.7 points, 3.2 boards, and 2.7 dimes. Bogdanovic is in his fourth season with the Hawks and has been a solid presence off the bench during his time with the team. And while Bogdanovic is signed through the 26-27 season, he's on a relatively team-friendly deal that pays out $17.2 million in 24-25 and $16 million in 25-26.
Bogdanovic also holds a $16 million team option for the 26-27 campaign. For example, Johnson is currently on a four-year / $12.8 million contract. The Hawks should trade away Murray and Bogdanovic for someone who fits Snyder's scheme in the future. The Hawks will be a dangerous team, just not right now.
Clint Capela
I've been playing fantasy basketball for awhile, and I've been waiting for a Clint Capela trade to happen for years. The Hawks have been using two bigs - Capela and Okongwu- for the past few years, and they've both been sharing the same playing time (24 to 26 minutes each).
The Hawks need to decide who is going to be their main center from now on. My bet is Okongwu because he's way younger and has the potential to show double-double figures regularly with healthy starter minutes. There are many teams that should go for Capela such as the Warriors or Thunder.
My bet is that the Hawks will be very active before the trade deadline and in the off-season. If all goes well, the Hawks could be a force for the 2024-2025 seasons.
The Warriors are interested in Dejounte Murray https://t.co/2E9hNLloKR
