The 2023 NBA Trade deadline saw big names relocate to a new team and many others gearing up for a deep playoff push. The Phoenix Suns made a trade to solidify their playoff push by trading for KD, the Dallas Mavericks got Luka some help with the addition of Kyrie Irving, and the Lakers cleaned up their roster by adding younger players who can shoot and play defense at the expense of Westbrook and Beverly. Out of the crazy trade mania that happened this past week, the Atlanta Hawks seemed to make a few quiet moves

More Wing Depth

The Hawks needed bench shooting and creation, so they decided to get Saddiq Bey through a four-team trade, parting with five second-round picks. While giving out five second-round picks may seem too much, the Hawks don’t have time and are unwilling to give a player that much time to grow. The Hawks are in a win-now mode, building around Trae Young, who will hopefully lead them to a championship. Most of the Hawk’s second-round draft picks have rarely seen any minutes or left/traded to another team. Bey is an excellent 3-point shooter and will get quality looks playing alongside Trae and Dejounte. He will most likely take the minutes Justin Holiday was playing and can even play the 4 in a small ball lineup.

Upgrading the Bench

The Hawks avoid dipping into the luxury tax by trading Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky to the Houston Rockets for Garrison Matthews and Bruno Fernando. Fernando returns to his second stint with the Atlanta Hawks after being drafted by them in 2019. Kaminsky saw no playing time with the Hawks, so acquiring Fernando gives the Hawks a traditional center who can defend and rebound. Garrison Matthews is an excellent shooter, and he could crack the rotation due to his excellent shooting touch. However, expect these guys to play only due to injuries or other hiccups.

While the Hawks did not make any significant moves throughout the deadline, they did not make any trades that seemed lopsided. They did not get rid of John Collins and flipped him for a nonsense package. Overall, the Hawks could upgrade depth while not giving too much. I am disappointed they did not pursue other stars aggressively, but many other teams also want to make significant upgrades for a late playoff push. These trades do not make the Hawks better for the playoffs but will help them win games in the regular season, where they are struggling.