The Hawks just traded their starting point guard (Jeff Teague) so they could elevate a younger point guard (Dennis Schroder) and acquire a draft pick (No. 12).
That doesn’t usually impress veteran free agents who want to win now.
But when it comes to re-signing Horford, Atlanta has a plan.
Marc Stein of ESPN:
ESPN sources say that the Hawks are now shopping both No. 12 and No. 21 in tomorrow night's draft
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 22, 2016
Back to Hawks: Sources say they'll now try to trade their two first-rounders (one from the Teague deal) to make re-signing Al Horford easier
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 22, 2016
That suggests the Hawks want to deal their picks for a veteran, not to move up in the draft. A better rookie might be more valuable than two lesser rookies, but no rookie outside Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram is likely to sway Horford. And the 76ers or Lakers aren’t dealing the No. 1 or No. 2 pick for Nos. 12 and 21, anyway.
Could Atlanta get a quality veteran for those picks? Potentially. First-rounders are especially valuable this year.
But I’m always reluctant to believe there’s a great trade out there just waiting to be made. If there were, why not make the Teague deal a four-team trade and just acquire the veteran now? Maybe the Hawks have something up their sleeves, but just hoping for a quality player to fall into their lap for Nos. 12 and 21 seems like wishful thinking.
