Simply put, the Window Closed

Last week the Atlanta Hawks traded sharpshooting guard Kyle Korver to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Mike Dunleavy, Mo Williams and a 2019 First Round draft pick.

This move comes in the middle of a seven-game win streak for the Hawks, as they’ve seemed to have fought through the early season struggles that prompted the front office to start a fire sale of veterans. Word within the organization is that the Hawks are fielding offers for any player that is over the age of 25, and everyone under is supposed to be part of the future.

What this trade means is that the window has closed on the 60-win Hawks core. The team that Mike Budenholzer put together for that season worked in his system, but as players aged and their system showed signs of exposure, the reset button had to be hit.

First Demarre Carroll left, which wasn’t a huge loss in the box score, but the void of an aggressive defensive mentality was felt. Next, Jeff Teague was traded after he had basically lost interest in being a Hawk for a first-round pick (Taurean Prince). The stronghold in the locker room, Al Horford, shipped up to Boston after the Hawks signed Dwight Howard. And now, by no choice of his own (unlike the others) Korver has moved on to chase a ring in Cleveland.

All that’s left is Paul Millsap, who’s due to be a free agent. If it were up to me, I would trade Millsap for whatever immediate draft picks you can get in return. If you can get a first rounder in the upcoming draft you need to take it.

I know the Hawks have informed teams that they’re not going to trade him and all that PR garbage to fans, but all that means nothing if the right offer is there. They’re just waiting for an actual playoff contender to get desperate and offer a deal they can’t refuse. And they should. This team isn’t going anywhere and they need to get whatever they can before Paul deuces out of town to the tune of a max-contract somewhere else.

Korver’s skillset had certainly diminished, and is best suited to lurk around the arch to catch and shoot. Since the 60-win season, teams closed in on this because nobody else on the team was much of a threat to score and the team struggled. Korver isn’t a shot creator, he’s a shot receiver – which is why his skills are best suited for Cleveland, where he can do what he does best.

Now for the Hawks moving forward, go ahead and blow the whole thing up. Window closed, time to move on. Get what you can for Paul Millsap, Thabo Sefolosha and anyone else over the age of 25 that has value.

It’s nearly impossible to completely rebuild in the NBA while meddling between 3rd and 10th place. If ownership trusts the GM and Coach, then go ahead and tank. Don’t sit in the middle for the next five to ten years waiting for the Cavaliers/Celtics/Raptors to eliminate you in the playoffs. That gets you nowhere in this league.

My biggest question if the team decides to tank – what was the point in signing Dwight Howard? And if the team tanks, I doubt his attitude adjustment lasts very long.