The Hawks Had A Goal Of Getting Bigger and Better On Defense This Offseason and They Are Doing Just That So Far

Atlanta traded Dejounte Murray to New Orleans for Larry Nance, Dyson Daniels, and two first round picks

Apr 7, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) matches up against New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (11) during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports / Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

The Hawks have decided to break up the backcourt of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young today by shipping Murray to New Orleans for Larry Nance, Dyson Daniels, and two first-round picks. There has been plenty of speculation about who the Hawks were going to move, but they have made that decision today. Murray is going to New Orleans and it appears that the Hawks are going to continue to build the team around Trae Young.

I have said it before, but the Hawks have done a poor job of putting together a capable roster around Young. Young's biggest weakness is obviously his defense and his size and that can make putting a winning team around him a challenge, but it is not impossible.

In the summer of 2022, Atlanta traded for Spurs All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, sending out a ton of future draft capital in the process. Murray was supposed to work next to Young and improve the Hawks's perimeter defense, as well as give Atlanta another playmaking ball-handler.

It is safe to say that that has not been the case since Murray has been in Atlanta. Murray has not been a bad player at all for the Hawks, but he has not been the defensive stalwart they had hoped for when they traded for him. He has been a good player in the locker room and a good leader for the franchise, but the Hawks are going in a different direction, as signaled by this trade. 

It was becoming increasingly clear that the Hawks roster was not built to win around Trae Young and that they were going to have to make adjustments. It was a goal from Atlanta this offseason to get better on defense, get more size, and have better point of attack defenders and so far, they are doing that.

While this trade might not have a big name in return to Atalnta, I think there are some useful pieces that help them get closer to accomplishing their goal. The best part of the return from New Orleans in my opinion was Daniles, who is a young player, but possesses the kind of size and athleticism that Atlanta has been looking for to help their defense.

Our very own Rohan Raman broke down Daniel's potential fit with the Hawks:

"I am most excited for what Dyson Daniels can bring to this lineup. He is a 6'7 second-year guard with a 6'10 wingspan, which he uses exceptionally well as a defender. He was 13th among all NBA defenders in steals, recording 1.4 per game, and can guard on the perimeter. I'm especially high on his fit next to Young as Young's improvements in defensive effort often go unnoticed due to his physical limitations. Now, Young has a backcourt partner who can cover for some of those defensive breakdowns. He also processes the game quickly and makes nice passes. Daniels does need to improve his shooting (only shooting 31% from beyond the arc on limited volume), but he is young and can easily grow into becoming a better shooter. I would wager that he will have an easier time growing into that in Atlanta since Young will demand so much defensive attention, forcing shooters to sag off of Daniels."

Daniels is not the only player that the Hawks have added so far this offseason that helps them reach these goals. The Hawks spent the No. 1 overall pick on Zaccharie Risacher in this week's NBA Draft and on draft night, Hawks general manager Landry Fields spoke about his defense and shooting as big reasons why the Hawks chose him:

"Well, you start by what you see and that is he is 6'10 and got the ability to play on both sides of the ball, has the ability to defend, a versatile defender, a really good shooter, and a high IQ type of player. You know, the amount of development that he has had up until this point is fantastic, he is still only 19, he will be 19 all of next year and I have consistently said all of the important qualities for us in the past, about those types of players and who we want in the building at the end of the day and he possesses a significant amount of those"

Risacher is a 6'8, 204 LBS wing player who fills a big need for Atlanta. He has two-way versatility and performed well in his league playoffs since the lottery. He is a plug-and-play type of forward that would fit on the Hawks as either their starting 2 or 3.

Does that mean that the Hawks are done adding to the team? No it does not. It would surprise nobody if they moved on from Clint Capela and De'Andre Hunter either. If they move Capela, that would open the door for Onyeka Okongwu to start at center and have Nance back him up. Daniels could either start next to Young or come off the bench. We will have to wait and see if Risacher cracks the starting lineup immediately.

Atlanta needed to remake their roster around Young and do a better job of putting the proper talent around him to maximize the team. I think they are going in the right direction so far, with work still to be done.