NBA Trade Rumors: New Proposal Sees Atlanta Land A New Backup Point Guard

What will the Atlanta Hawks do at the trade deadline next week?

Jackson Caudell | Jan 31, 2025

Jan 25, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Vasilije Micic (22) brings the ball up court against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

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The NBA Trade deadline is less than one week away and the rumors and speculation are going to be ramping up over the next several days.

The Atlanta Hawks are going to be one of the most interesting teams to watch leading up to next week. Players such as Clint Capela, Cody Zeller, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Larry Nance Jr have been mentioned as trade possibilities, but will the Hawks move any of them? The team announced this week that star forward Jalen Johnson is going to miss the rest of the season and that is something that could potentially alter their plans at the deadline.

One of the glaring needs on the Hawks this season has been the need for a backup point guard/ball handler. Even at the start of the season when they were fully healthy, you could make the argument that the Hawks did not have a reliable backup point guard. Then, Kobe Bufkin got injured and was out for the season, and while Vit Krejci has been a useful player off the bench, it has not necessarily been as the point guard. Is this something the Hawks will try and address at the deadline next week?

A new trade proposal from Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley sees the Hawks make a small move to address that need:

Charlotte Hornets receive: David Roddy and a 2025 second-round pick (via MIN)

Atlanta Hawks receive: Vasilije Micić

"Earlier this season, it felt like the Hornets might try an acceleration-focused blockbuster deal to get Buzz City buzzing again.

Between Charlotte's record and the near-universal celebration of this draft class, though, this hardly feels like the right time for the franchise to fast-forward.

So, the Hornets might instead be interested in swapping out a present asset (the 31-year-old Micić) for a couple of future-focused ones.

Admittedly, it's possible the return package amounts to nothing. Roddy is on his third team in three seasons, and this is probably a mid-to-late second-rounder. Still, the Hornets have nothing to lose by placing these bets.

Roddy, 23, was a first-round pick in 2022, and building blocks can be found at any point of the draft. If the Hornets got lucky, they'd flip a 30-something reserve for a pair of long-term keepers."

While Micic does fill a need, I don't think this is the kind of trade that I would do if I am the Hawks. Micic is averaging 7.2 PPG and 3.5 APG this season, but is over 30 and only has one more year left on his current contract. I think when the Hawks fill their backup point guard role, it needs to be someone who fits better into their long term plans, which Micic does not. Roddy has been a depth piece for Atlanta this season, but has struggled when he is on the floor, especially on defense. This isn ot the worst kind of trade for the Hawks, but it does not move the needle and they should not make moves that only improve them on the margins like this.

It will be interesting to see what the Hawks do at the deadline. Atlanta is also not going to make a trade just to make a trade. If a trade does not help the Hawks going forward into future seasons, they are not going to do it, even if Nance and Capela are on expiring deals. No realistic move the Hawks could make, even before the reports of Johnson's injury, was going to make the Hawks a championship contender. The only deals the Hawks need to be in the business of making are deals to help them in the future.

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