I absolutely hate how Atlanta has recovered from the Dejounte trade

[spursistan]

- Hired a great Coach who is good at squeezing regular season wins out of middling/mediocre rosters

- Turned The Pelicans franchise into a farm team (sent them a plateauing, soon-to-be Achilles-ed Murray and robbed them of a DPOY-candidate and a valuable unprotected '26 FRP)

- Didn't panic and kept Trae who is still an underrated floor-raising PG especially in the regular season.

- Got lucky and won the 2024 lottery from 10th spot adding a wing with All-star potential.

- The East is collapsing around them with injuries.

- They are preparing ammo for a potential Giannis trade.

Dem picks won't be good :pctoss

[LeBowen]

I still vividly remember trying to convince people we should trade two of those picks for Markkanen last summer.

[SpursBills]

Props to them, they’ve done great. Spurs have gotten way too lucky with regards to draft odds for me to feel bad tbh. We could lose the 26 swap and the 27 pick could end up in the high 20s and the spurs will still have gotten way luckier than I ever could have hoped for

[scott]

Yep, everyone just assumed the Hawks were going to roll over and die “with no way to improve their team” and “no choice but to deal Trae and bottom out”. Lo and behold… they’ve gone out and improved their team.

Just goes to show (and someone recently bumped the thread I did on this a year ago), that most picks acquired via trade well in advance don’t convey into top lotto picks. NBA teams aren’t run by complete morons (though sometimes it looks like they are), and it is easy enough to get into play-in range if you just run your organization even semi-decently. There will always been enough teams tanking below you if you yourself need to avoid tanking.

FRPs are still FRPs though, and you never know what might happen… I’m glad we have that pick and that swap, but I’m not counting on landing our next core piece with them (which is fine).

Atlanta will be low key fun to watch next season.

[exstatic]

I doesn’t matter if they won’t pay Trae his $60 M or whatever.

[LeBowen]

Just goes to show (and someone recently bumped the thread I did on this a year ago), that most picks acquired via trade well in advance don’t convey into top lotto picks. NBA teams aren’t run by complete morons (though sometimes it looks like they are), and it is easy enough to get into play-in range if you just run your organization even semi-decently.

It's just obvious that the NBA is 90% GM competency and 10% lucking into generational talent.

Just look at the Pistons that looked hopeless and are right back into it in no time with some competent GMing.

I'll say it again, '28 Celtics swap will be worthless because Stevens is a top2 GM in the league.
'30 Minnesota swap won't be anything special with the new ownership looking competent and willing to spend money.

The best we can hope for is another disaster in Dallas by '30.

[mo7888]

I don't think the needle has moved much for Atlanta. They did fleece Nola (side note-we should talk with nola about TM while they are in the getting fleeced mode), but that 26 pick isn't going to really impact their 27 picks because rookies don't move needles. Then you have the Porzingis trade, that one could impact them either way depending on his health, so it's a crap shoot. Then the big question is, are they gonna pay Trae $60M/per? Trade him? Etc. That's the next big decision and it will impact them more than any other. At this moment, I think they are a play-in team again. Another move might improve them a bit and an injury would knock them out. There's no need to overestimate them at this point and there's no reason to expect a top 5 pick at this point. In essence, they still are who they were...

[CorrectCrusader]

It's just obvious that the NBA is 90% GM competency and 10% lucking into generational talent.

Just look at the Pistons that looked hopeless and are right back into it in no time with some competent GMing.

I'll say it again, '28 Celtics swap will be worthless because Stevens is a top2 GM in the league.
'30 Minnesota swap won't be anything special with the new ownership looking competent and willing to spend money.

The best we can hope for is another disaster in Dallas by '30.

Kings too but reverse, had a great future & roster and shipped it off to attempt to compete NOW and it predictably blew up in their face.

[Guru of Nothing]

ATL fans should be pleased with the way their FO has navigated roster building for the past year, BUT there's still opportunity for them to feel real pain losing out on the rights to Carter Bryant.

Would actually expect a worse overall outcome if they don't deal Murray to the Hawks.

[Seventyniner]

It's just obvious that the NBA is 90% GM competency and 10% lucking into generational talent.

Just look at the Pistons that looked hopeless and are right back into it in no time with some competent GMing.

I'll say it again, '28 Celtics swap will be worthless because Stevens is a top2 GM in the league.
'30 Minnesota swap won't be anything special with the new ownership looking competent and willing to spend money.

The best we can hope for is another disaster in Dallas by '30.

I see a swap as an option on a team having an unexpectedly bad season, like the Pelicans or Suns this past season. It isn't likely but it's still a positive asset.

[R. DeMurre]

I love what they've done, but I'm still convinced no team starting Trae Young is ever winning a championship, so it's still a little frustrating to watch. Their entire roster is built to make up for an undersized non-defending PG who wants to play like Steph but has shooting efficiencies closer to Russell Westbrook, and who is actively in the "worst defensive starter in the league" discussion. It's nearly an impossible task, but I guess if the goal is to simply make the playoffs some of their fans will be happy.

[scott]

It's just obvious that the NBA is 90% GM competency and 10% lucking into generational talent.

Just look at the Pistons that looked hopeless and are right back into it in no time with some competent GMing.

I'll say it again, '28 Celtics swap will be worthless because Stevens is a top2 GM in the league.
'30 Minnesota swap won't be anything special with the new ownership looking competent and willing to spend money.

The best we can hope for is another disaster in Dallas by '30.

Well, what I like about those swaps, even if they won’t land you in the lottery, is that they are just enhancers to your pick if you think (as the Spurs should) that you’re going to have a Top Team. So even if BOS28 and MIN30 are still playoff teams, if the Spurs are the #1 seed (which they fucking should be, tbqh :)) - then the result is the Spurs get a pick better than they “deserve” by normal drafting methodology and that’s a good thing.

But this is also why most swaps end up having the same value as an early SRP… because teams won’t tank on your behalf. They’re nice to have (and they make future picks more valuable) but they aren’t some golden ticket like some people want to make them out to be (although occasionally they are, like PHILLY/BOS/SAC a few years ago).

[spursistan]

Yep, everyone just assumed the Hawks were going to roll over and die “with no way to improve their team” and “no choice but to deal Trae and bottom out”. Lo and behold… they’ve gone out and improved their team.

Just goes to show (and someone recently bumped the thread I did on this a year ago), that most picks acquired via trade well in advance don’t convey into top lotto picks. NBA teams aren’t run by complete morons (though sometimes it looks like they are), and it is easy enough to get into play-in range if you just run your organization even semi-decently. There will always been enough teams tanking below you if you yourself need to avoid tanking.

FRPs are still FRPs though, and you never know what might happen… I’m glad we have that pick and that swap, but I’m not counting on landing our next core piece with them (which is fine).

Atlanta will be low key fun to watch next season.
I actually think it is not good optics for us if that swap doesn't convey. It means, in part, we haven't met our own expectations. I understand the East getting decimated by injuries is not our fault, but Hawks would be scoring an important late goal in that trade retrospective..

[Spursfanfromafar]

The OKC Thunder's success tells an important story about the need to harvest FRPs. A team might strike out with a few but having a lot of FRPs allows them to combine a lot of misses with just a few hits and the odd home run. So far the Atlanta picks have gotten Carter Bryant to the Spurs and it remains to be seen id he will be worth it but considering the fact they got an athletic 3 and D prospect suggests they are trending in the right direction.

[scott]

I actually think it is not good optics for us if that swap doesn't convey. It means, in part, we haven't met our own expectations. I understand the East getting decimated by injuries is not our fault, but Hawks would be scoring an important late goal in that trade retrospective..

I agree. I said this in another thread… if you trade for a far out swap, and then that swap doesn’t convey… then your job should feel a little jeopardized. The exception would be if you finish 24th and the other team is 27th or something… nothing you can do about that. But if you trade for a swap and then end up in the lottery… you might need to consider another line of work.

[R. DeMurre]

The OKC Thunder's success tells an important story about the need to harvest FRPs. A team might strike out with a few but having a lot of FRPs allows them to combine a lot of misses with just a few hits and the odd home run. So far the Atlanta picks have gotten Carter Bryant to the Spurs and it remains to be seen id he will be worth it but considering the fact they got an athletic 3 and D prospect suggests they are trending in the right direction.


I think that's part of the lesson, but the other part is being flexible, jumping at opportunities and making good decisions in any given scenario, which in OKC's case was handed to them when Paul George demanded a trade. They didn't initiate a trade for Shai, but without that move they're not the 68 win championship team we see now. If Presti had refused PG's trade request and insisted on some generic "not skipping any steps" philosophy, he'd most likely still be a ringless GM.

[rjv]

every NBA team is a couple of devastating injuries, or disgruntled player(s), away from having a terrible season and dropping into the lottery, and with what happened with Dallas this past lottery, any lottery pick will have value. Far away unprotected picks or swaps are still valuable assets to have, so they shouldn't be dumped out of panic.

[Ariel]

Yep, everyone just assumed the Hawks were going to roll over and die “with no way to improve their team” and “no choice but to deal Trae and bottom out”. Lo and behold… they’ve gone out and improved their team.

Just goes to show (and someone recently bumped the thread I did on this a year ago), that most picks acquired via trade well in advance don’t convey into top lotto picks. NBA teams aren’t run by complete morons (though sometimes it looks like they are), and it is easy enough to get into play-in range if you just run your organization even semi-decently. There will always been enough teams tanking below you if you yourself need to avoid tanking.

FRPs are still FRPs though, and you never know what might happen… I’m glad we have that pick and that swap, but I’m not counting on landing our next core piece with them (which is fine).

Atlanta will be low key fun to watch next season.
Atlanta did a well above average job of retooling the past couple of years, their trade of Dejounte was actually kind of risky and they absolutely nailed it, the Risacher pick was also bold (plenty of people here bashed him non stop) and he's definitely a starting caliber NBA wing with room for growth, they made the decision to part with Hunter who was having a great season and got back a couple of useful players including Levert and Niang that helped their depth, they pulled a highway robbery yesterday... that's a string of bold AND very good moves, they didn't let the fear of conveying a high pick get in the way of making moves that would help them long term and the results were almost immediate. That deserves a lot of credit, this wasn't your average GMing, but well above that. Spurs were as unlucky here as they were lucky originally.

[Ariel]

I still vividly remember trying to convince people we should trade two of those picks for Markkanen last summer.
One of those picks landed us Carter Bryant and the other probably facilitated the Spurs parting with their own 27 pick in the Fox trade, I don't think I'd rather have Lauri at his current contract than those 2.

[NickiRasgo]

Spurs still get Wemby, Castle and Harper in that order. No need to be greedy even though there's nothing wrong in wanting more, our front office still needs to work in evalauting/picking players outside Top 5 in Wright's era. Sure the '26 (FR Swap) and '27 (FRP) might be worthless now in terms of lottery range potential but the '25 (FRP) landed them with Carter Bryant (who still has to prove himself). Who knows, '27 (FRP) might be valuable in getting a rotational player to compliment the Spurs' young core

[cd98]

Well getting the 14th pick and a pick next season, even if it isn’t a lottery pick, is a great return for DjM. Next season’s draft will be deep so I’m glad we have two picks even if they are late teens to early 20s. Spurs are likely to be a playin team or maybe a 7-8 seed next season unless they get a solid vet. And Atlanta will be good, but I’m not sure they are top 4 in the east. Certainly they won’t finish top 10 in the NBA. So their pick will be ok next year. Whether we use the pick swap is anyone’s guess but I’m glad we have it.

[LeBowen]

One of those picks landed us Carter Bryant and the other probably facilitated the Spurs parting with their own 27 pick in the Fox trade, I don't think I'd rather have Lauri at his current contract than those 2.

You can't deny that having Lauri rather than Fox would've been a way better fit with Harper, despite Fox being a better player and his contract is lower than what Fox gets with his extension.
But we're going into whataboutisms since then we probably wouldn't have landed Harper and would've still needed a point guard.

My overall point being that picks from teams that have no incentive to tank are never that valuable unless you want to rely on dumb lottery luck.
Not wanting to tank is an easy +10 in W column by itself, especially in the East.

[Splits]

I doesn’t matter if they won’t pay Trae his $60 M or whatever.

Tell us again how they are overachieving and can't keep up their win pace.

[Ariel]

You can't deny that having Lauri rather than Fox would've been a way better fit with Harper, despite Fox being a better player and his contract is lower than what Fox gets with his extension.
But we're going into whataboutisms since then we probably wouldn't have landed Harper and would've still needed a point guard.

My overall point being that picks from teams that have no incentive to tank are never that valuable unless you want to rely on dumb lottery luck.
Not wanting to tank is an easy +10 in W column by itself, especially in the East.
You just answered yourself for me (butterly effect). Bottom line, not trading the picks didn't yield worse results than having traded them. You don't need dumb lottery luck, you need average luck to get an average pick, Spurs got very unlucky with the combination of a string of genius moves by Atlanta along with the total collapse of the East. That does not mean the original trade wasn't good or shorting Atlanta was dumb.

[cd98]

To be fair, Atlanta has improved on paper, but you won't know how good they will be until you see it on the court and we've seen teams that should win go south, for example, the Suns with Durant. It doesn't take much bad injury luck to derail a season. But even if Atlanta plays to their potential, it's still probably in a range of 16 to 22 and that's not a bad range to see if the Spurs can find a gem.

[poopbox]

They might have gotten more of their Dejounte Murray trade to N.O. than we got out of our Dejounte Murray trade to the Hawks. Entirely possible we never get a player as good as Dyson using their picks

Factor in all the injuries in the east and the Hawks might legit only win 38 games but still be the 6th seed.

[spursistan]

They might have gotten more of their Dejounte Murray trade to N.O. than we got out of our Dejounte Murray trade to the Hawks. Entirely possible we never get a player as good as Dyson using their picks

Factor in all the injuries in the east and the Hawks might legit only win 38 games but still be the 6th seed.


Hawks made good moves to navigate their not-controlling-their-pick reality. Kudos to them ..But this what bugs me the most: The East falling apart with simultaneous key players injuries conspiring to nuke the value of those picks..It is hard to see them miss the playoffs in 2026 or 2027

[poopbox]

Hawks made good moves to navigate their not-controlling-their-pick reality. Kudos to them ..But this what bugs me the most: The East falling apart with simultaneous key players injuries conspiring to nuke the value of those picks..It is hard to see them miss the playoffs in 2026 or 2027

Not saying we should have ever given the Hawks picks back for Trae but historically getting a bunch of picks, even unprotected ones, from another team doesn't yield you some super high pick cause that team fights like hell to not be bad. I know everyone talks about the Brooklyn Celtics trade and all the stuff Boston got but historically that's not the norm.

You usually end up like Utah. Traded their franchise players for tons of picks that aren't doing anything for them cause Wolves and Cavs sleepwalk into the playoffs every year.

[Knoxxx]

A good reliable trade partnership is supposed to be win-win not one organization fleecing another. That’s not any kind of reputation I think a team benefits from (SAS).

[dn0774]

Atlanta gaining some control over the Milwaukee pick next year could come into play if Giannis hits the market between now and the trade deadline. Seems unlikely now, but Atlanta would be well positioned to entice the Bucks with a package that includes getting their pick back essentially.

[RC_Drunkford]

I mean their GM is now ex-Spurs FO member Onsi Saleh, so no surprise that they are actually making good moves

[Blizzardwizard]

the consequences of asset-hoarding for the sake of it tbh.


at least a couple of those picks should've been moved for a player(s) last summer after ATL won the lottery and it became clear that trae young wasn't being moved.


as mentioned above they might not even need 40 wins to make the play-in again next season. SAS only landing pick #14 after jalen johnson missed most of the year is evidence enough of how high ATL's floor is in the east right now.


all the "hey man be patient man those picks could be anything man :cry" arguments in the ATL picks thread last season reminded me a lot of the perpetual "i swear they're gonna take a leap anytime now just watch :cry" arguments from the Friendship Defense Squad.


could've moved ATL picks + vassell for something solid last year. now we're stuck with picks front offices around the league know have limited value and over $100 million left on a shitty contract.


there's a big difference between patience and becoming overly-attached to mediocre players/picks. the best front offices know when to move off them in a timely fashion for something more tangible than future projections.

[mystargtr34]

I’m not too concerned the Spurs are only impacted by Atlanta for the next 2 seasons. By the time that unprotected ‘26 pick conveys it’s going to be one season for that rookie to impact Atlanta’s W/L and that’s it.

There’s no garuantee the Hawks are in the top 6 this season either meaning the pick could be another late lottery one.

[Mr. Body]

Meanwhile we pulled the 1, the 4, and the 2 in three drafts. We're good.

[Poolboy5623]

How much more luck do the Spurs need, draft wise?

[exstatic]

Hawks made good moves to navigate their not-controlling-their-pick reality. Kudos to them ..But this what bugs me the most: The East falling apart with simultaneous key players injuries conspiring to nuke the value of those picks..It is hard to see them miss the playoffs in 2026 or 2027

The biggest pivot point is Trae. If he’s not happy with their extension $$$, he can opt out in 2026, when multiple teams have reserved cap room. They maybe forced to trade him this summer or at the deadline for pennies.

[Limguogolo]

Maybe. But the Hawks won't get anywhere with Trae Young. He, like LaMelo, has no intention or ability to defend. The Young-Porzingis lineup is a defense like these capsules that we pierce on both sides to empty them more quickly. Stephen Curry has thickened considerably to no longer be an easy target. Young spends his physical training moving his red jersey like a matador facing a bull to ensure that he avoids making a mistake as best as possible: by moving away..


You can play with such players. Not when you make him your leader. TJ Shorts with his 1.75 m is much more useful in defense than Young, and Shorts thus allows his team to win titles. This is one of the reasons why despite his size, Shorts is among the five best players in Europe.

And that is indeed a deliberate choice by the Hawks.

[Darkwaters]

How much more luck do the Spurs need, draft wise?

:hungry: All of it

[Dejounte]

Yep, everyone just assumed the Hawks were going to roll over and die “with no way to improve their team” and “no choice but to deal Trae and bottom out”. Lo and behold… they’ve gone out and improved their team.

Just goes to show (and someone recently bumped the thread I did on this a year ago), that most picks acquired via trade well in advance don’t convey into top lotto picks. NBA teams aren’t run by complete morons (though sometimes it looks like they are), and it is easy enough to get into play-in range if you just run your organization even semi-decently. There will always been enough teams tanking below you if you yourself need to avoid tanking.

FRPs are still FRPs though, and you never know what might happen… I’m glad we have that pick and that swap, but I’m not counting on landing our next core piece with them (which is fine).

Atlanta will be low key fun to watch next season.
Yeah I get annoyed with people being confidently incorrect on here but it is what it is

[KobesAchilles]

I mean with how bad CHI, Wash, BKN, and Charlotte are it’s hard as hell to tank out east. They are pretty much guaranteed a play-in spot near minimum.

[TD 21]

This Pelicans trade is unconscionable.

Again, the league moves at a bullet train speed now.

The Hawks aren't waiting around to hand the Spurs high picks, instead they're gearing up to have a puncher's chance at a Pacers like run next season.

If it's necessary to include their assets to fix this roster and it's for the right player(s), the Spurs shouldn't hesitate.

[mo7888]

This Pelicans trade is unconscionable.

Again, the league moves at a bullet train speed now.

The Hawks aren't waiting around to hand the Spurs high picks, instead they're gearing up to have a puncher's chance at a Pacers like run next season.

If it's necessary to include their assets to fix this roster and it's for the right player(s), the Spurs shouldn't hesitate.

How does a Nola first next offseason help them this upcoming season?

[mystargtr34]

My east tiers as of right now.

Tier 1 (55+ wins)

Tier 2 (45-54 wins)
Cavs
Knicks
Magic

Tier 3 (35-44 wins)
Indiana
Miami
Detroit
Philly
Atlanta
Boston
Milwaukee
Toronto
Chicago

Tier 4 (sub-35 wins)
Hornets
Wizards
Brooklyn

[mystargtr34]

Cavs come back down to earth.

That tier 3 could go in many directions with all the injuries to guys like Hali, Tatum, Lillard.

[TD 21]

How does a Nola first next offseason help them this upcoming season?

Although I can see how you'd interpret it as such given how it was written, I didn't mean it like that.

[TimmyBuckets]

We got an insane haul for DJ, including what turned out to be Wemby, and Hawks are in a whole different conference. Plus, we got Carter Bryant who fell on our lap. Why be mad?

[scottspurs]

The 2027 NBA draft class is looking kind of weak so I wouldn’t mind the Spurs trading the 27 hawks pick for a player that can be a huge part of the rotation this season.

[mudyez]

Kudos to them. We did fine already and with us jumping this year, there is nothing to get greedy about.
Sure, we could have cashed the picks in earlier, but don't forget, that we probably would be without Bryant, which has a shot at making it worth by himself.

[scott]

My east tiers as of right now.

Tier 1 (55+ wins)

Tier 2 (45-54 wins)
Cavs
Knicks
Magic

Tier 3 (35-44 wins)
Indiana
Miami
Detroit
Philly
Atlanta
Boston
Milwaukee
Toronto
Chicago

Tier 4 (sub-35 wins)
Hornets
Wizards
Brooklyn

I could justify putting Brooklyn in a Tier 5 (Threatening Worst W-L of All Time)

[SpursFan86]

It's definitely unfortunate - those '26/'27 Hawks swaps/picks were looking super juicy but at this point I'd be surprised if either of them are in the lottery. Obviously injuries can happen but it seems clear they're not going to just lie down and hand away top 10 picks to us.

Agree with others' sentiments here that we should be willing to move off of those picks if the right opportunities come along.

[Ditty]

Good for ATL if NOLA sucks, which I don't exactly see them being one of the worst teams in the league unless Zion gets fat and injury-prone again, which is possible.

I hope the Hawks are eventually really good after the 2027 season, regardless of an unpredictable outcome in the lottery, which it might be again if they actually get a lottery pick.

[RC_Drunkford]

if the Hawks weren't taking the NOLA deal, the Spurs would've. Can't be mad at that.

[Gagnrath]

I love what they've done, but I'm still convinced no team starting Trae Young is ever winning a championship, so it's still a little frustrating to watch. Their entire roster is built to make up for an undersized non-defending PG who wants to play like Steph but has shooting efficiencies closer to Russell Westbrook, and who is actively in the "worst defensive starter in the league" discussion. It's nearly an impossible task, but I guess if the goal is to simply make the playoffs some of their fans will be happy.

The whole deal is if you have a team that you're pretty sure will win 55+ games and get past the first round you can just play for getting lucky with injuries, a hot streak, or favorable match ups to have an outside shot of winning it all.

[CGD]

I don't think the needle has moved much for Atlanta. They did fleece Nola (side note-we should talk with nola about TM while they are in the getting fleeced mode), but that 26 pick isn't going to really impact their 27 picks because rookies don't move needles. Then you have the Porzingis trade, that one could impact them either way depending on his health, so it's a crap shoot. Then the big question is, are they gonna pay Trae $60M/per? Trade him? Etc. That's the next big decision and it will impact them more than any other. At this moment, I think they are a play-in team again. Another move might improve them a bit and an injury would knock them out. There's no need to overestimate them at this point and there's no reason to expect a top 5 pick at this point. In essence, they still are who they were...

I take your points, but I’m in the camp that their projected starting 5, with Okungwu moving to the bench and ZR gaining experience, is a really frisky team in a down East.

All that to say, I am much more open to including their swap and 27pick in deals than I was even a month ago. And to your NOP point, yes I’m calling about TM3 or even Herb and offering them a chance to “control” Atlanta’s draft for the next few years.

[scott]

I take your points, but I’m in the camp that their projected starting 5, with Okungwu moving to the bench and ZR gaining experience, is a really frisky team in a down East.

All that to say, I am much more open to including their swap and 27pick in deals than I was even a month ago. And to your NOP point, yes I’m calling about TM3 or even Herb and offering them a chance to “control” Atlanta’s draft for the next few years.

That would be interesting, since ATL has NOP's 26 pick (the best of NOP/MIL) and the worst of NOP/MIL in 2027. Even if NOP got control of ATL's draft... ATL still may have the better end of that deal.

I think Joe Dumars might not be thinking quite this strategically though...

[mo7888]

I take your points, but I’m in the camp that their projected starting 5, with Okungwu moving to the bench and ZR gaining experience, is a really frisky team in a down East.

All that to say, I am much more open to including their swap and 27pick in deals than I was even a month ago. And to your NOP point, yes I’m calling about TM3 or even Herb and offering them a chance to “control” Atlanta’s draft for the next few years.

I've been open to moving those picks if the right value is there, so my position hasn't changed. I do think the idea of talking with nola about the 26 or 27 pick has merit. I don't think the Stepien Rule lets us trade both though, unless we are getting back a first for one of those years somehow.

[Mitch Cumsteen]

NAW and Kennard. Great moves by Atlanta. Hate to see it, but got to respect it. Probably a top 4 team in the east next year with all the injuries?

[spursistan]

- Hired a great Coach who is good at squeezing regular season wins out of middling/mediocre rosters

- Turned The Pelicans franchise into a farm team (sent them a plateauing, soon-to-be Achilles-ed Murray and robbed them of a DPOY-candidate and a valuable unprotected '26 FRP)

- Didn't panic and kept Trae who is still an underrated floor-raising PG especially in the regular season.

- Got lucky and won the 2024 lottery from 10th spot adding a wing with All-star potential.

- The East is collapsing around them with injuries.

- They are preparing ammo for a potential Giannis trade.

Dem picks won't be good :pctoss

Short of an injury plague, Hawks are the outright 5th/6th seed in the East after this FA. That swap isn't conveying unless Wemby levels up to a Top3 MVP contender and lifts us up the West standings

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Guess I’m the only one but I think losing Levert hurts them more than getting NAW helps, because they really needed his on ball creation from the backcourt.

Kennard is a good signing.

[BatManu20]

1939855370916356337

[TimmyBuckets]

Hawks are bouncing back flawlessly honestly. How much more can we get out of a team lmao? Wemby, Bryant, like 35 picks for DJ lmao.

[DAF86]

Who could we snatch from them if we give them their picks back, tbh?

[spurraider21]

Who could we snatch from them if we give them their picks back, tbh?
They’re currently roster building in a way where having their picks doesn’t matter lol. It’s unclear the hawks 2026 pick will even be better than the spurs pick

[Ice009]

Hawks are bouncing back flawlessly honestly. How much more can we get out of a team lmao? Wemby, Bryant, like 35 picks for DJ lmao.

Umm you're not making sense. The Spurs didn't get Victor out of the Hawks. They only got 2 picks and a pick swap from what I recall. The first pick was used on Bryant, but the swap probably won't convey next season as the Spurs will likely have a worse record than them, and the 2027 pick could be high 20s if they have a good season in 2027.

[Degoat]

The hawks are having a great offseason but I’m skeptical…. There definitely a playoff team but it’s not like they added some superstar, they just have a done of depth which is great but sometimes that can hinder development.

Personally I think all the additions are going to slow the progress of their young guys like Johnson, Risacher, and Onyeka all for porzingis, NAW, and Kennard

[spurraider21]

The hawks are having a great offseason but I’m skeptical…. There definitely a playoff team but it’s not like they added some superstar, they just have a done of depth which is great but sometimes that can hinder development.

Personally I think all the additions are going to slow the progress of their young guys like Johnson, Risacher, and Onyeka all for porzingis, NAW, and Kennard
theyre also going to have some internal improvement. daniels should build on a breakout year. risacher started slow but came along strong in the second half of the year, should be better. jalen johnson missed more than half of last year.

what if kobe bufkin becomes a nice bench scorer too?

[DAF86]

They’re currently roster building in a way where having their picks doesn’t matter lol. It’s unclear the hawks 2026 pick will even be better than the spurs pick

Let's not get carried away here, they are still the Trae Young led Hawks, they will forever be mediocre. The only reason they are being talked up for next season is because of all the injuries to the few contenders that awful conference had.

And even if they do become good, it is never a bad thing to be in command of your own picks. If suddenly MATFO decided to send them all of their picks back, they would be dumb not to accept, regardless of how good of a job they did to build themselves back up. Because the awful truth for them is that, at the end of the day, their franchise player is Trae Young, and that will get them nowhere ever.

[spurraider21]

Let's not get carried away here, they are still the Trae Young led Hawks, they will forever be mediocre. The only reason they are being talked up for next season is because of all the injuries to the few contenders that awful conference had.

And even if they do become good, it is never a bad thing to be in command of your own picks. If suddenly MATFO decided to send them all of their picks back, they would be dumb not to accept, regardless of how good of a job they did to build themselves back up. Because the awful truth for them is that, at the end of the day, their franchise player is Trae Young, and that will get them nowhere ever.
theyve also gone from Capela to Porzingis, LeVert to NAW, added Kennard, and still have the full MLE available (and drafted Asa Newell who just as a rim runner/defender should be fine)

[DAF86]

theyve also gone from Capela to Porzingis, LeVert to NAW, added Kennard, and still have the full MLE available (and drafted Asa Newell who just as a rim runner/defender should be fine)

Yeah, I know. They still depend on Trae Young to create all their shots. They just doubled down on mediocrity because they had no other option, luckily for them they got a huge break with all these injuries to key opossing players in their conference.

[jesterbobman]

There's always a bigger idiot - We sold high on DeJounte relying on luck in picks (and, were one lottery ball away from getting Flagg with Hawks pick - didn't quite hit relied on luck), they sold high on DeJounte and got Dyson+..., and then leveraged the relationship in the #13 pick trade.

[Mr. Body]

Yeah, I know. They still depend on Trae Young to create all their shots. They just doubled down on mediocrity because they had no other option, luckily for them they got a huge break with all these injuries to key opossing players in their conference.

They've greatly increased their depth after a very nice season of installing a lengthy aggressive defense, things that really help around and hide Trae, but you're right, it's still a team entirely dependent on him offensively. He's like a mini-Luca in how things just can't work otherwise. They've done well overall and of course the EC losing players helps a lot. They'll be below, say, Detroit, and above, say, Milwaukee.

[RC_Drunkford]

There's always a bigger idiot - We sold high on DeJounte relying on luck in picks (and, were one lottery ball away from getting Flagg with Hawks pick - didn't quite hit relied on luck), they sold high on DeJounte and got Dyson+..., and then leveraged the relationship in the #13 pick trade.

the #2 pick was the Spurs pick. The Hawks pick was #14

[jesterbobman]

the #2 pick was the Spurs pick. The Hawks pick was #14

I know. Not the point I'm making, and not how the lottery works.

There were numerous reports that the as the draw of the first pick got 3 balls deep, then there were 2 combinations available that would have led to the pick from the Hawks jumping up to #1 overall - literally one lottery ball away. https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1klxd19/2025_nba_draft_lottery_look_up_table/

So, a 2/11 chance at that point of the Hawks pick moving up to #1 - at which point, who gives a shit if you get nothing from the 26 swap and 27 pick. That was unlikely, didn't happen, but the chance of that is why you take unprotected picks - The upside of the chance of moving up.

[ffadicted]

Hindsight is 20/20 obv, but the reality is that Atlanta is a team in the east trying to win. That's literally all it takes to make the playoffs over there, the imbalance of talented teams in the conferences is gonna be nuts next year. Picks should still be in the teens though.
Could've should've would've, but keeping those picks made sense at the times we did so. They still have some value, and packaging them along with Devin or Keldon for an upgraded piece somewhere is still absolutely viable.

Also can't be too mad about how things have shaken out lately lol

[LeBowen]

Hindsight is 20/20 obv, but the reality is that Atlanta is a team in the east trying to win. That's literally all it takes to make the playoffs over there, the imbalance of talented teams in the conferences is gonna be nuts next year.

It's not hindsight, it's what I've been saying since last year.
Having no incentive to tank is instant +10 in W column, especially in the East.
Hawks have a good team now and considering how good Trae and Synder are in the regular season, I can see them being similar to this season's Rockets.
I don't think they'll be legit in the playoffs, but definitely a good team to watch.

Although I think their roster is still fundamentally flawed because they don't have a single natural point guard or shot creator other than Trae.
They'll lose all the momentum as soon as he sits. Bogdanovic was good for them in that role before his injury.

[K...]

in hindsight instagram baller is kind of mid.

trading murray and getting a young 3&D prospect would be wildly popular on this site had it been proposed before the trade. Just be happy, we are wildly successful as it is.

[TD 21]

They've done well, but Johnson and Kennard are their secondary creators, which means the offense likely dies on the vine in non Young minutes.

[south side spur]

1939855370916356337

Great another We Love Trae thread. Atlanta has a top 4 roster in the East? They’re not going to be ahead of Cleveland, New York, Detroit or Orlando who beat them like a drum in the Play In. Those teams have been playing together for a few seasons already. Comparing Atlanta to Indiana as far as potential contenders doesn’t work because Indiana had already played together for a few seasons. So Atlanta is going to be around the same win total as Boston, Milwaukee (who should improve with Turner), Miami and Chicago. For all the celebration of Atlanta going 2-1 vs Cleveland, what about the Hawks losing 1-2 for the season to Washington? WITH Johnson so y’all can’t use that excuse y’all love to whine about. Oh yeahhh that doesn’t work with the I Love Trae committee. The Hawks can be the 5th seed just as easily as they can be the 8th seed and in the Play In. How far will Indiana drop? Who knows but at least they’ve had some seasons playing together. As much as y’all bring up Johnson being out what about Philadelphia? What if they’re at full strength with Embiid and George? They’re not better than Atlanta? Oh yeahhhh I forgot it’s only Atlanta and Trae that will reach their full potential and be injury free while the rest of the East will regress because…y’all will manifest it. It’s quite amusing.

[Old School 44]

I actually think mid to late first round picks are going to have more value in the coming years. Drafts will be deeper as good college players who stayed for NIL $ will start aging out and entering the draft. Teams with numerous FRPs, even non-lottery, will be able to get good rookie scale replacement players to fill out their rosters.

[BatManu20]

Hilarious. Pets are such a poverty franchise.

1940803517238948080

[Seventyniner]

Hilarious. Pets are such a poverty franchise.

Gotta burn up the phone lines with them. Try to use SA26 w/ATL swap to pry away TM3, tell NO that they can use that leverage to get their own pick back from ATL.

[RC_Drunkford]

I actually think mid to late first round picks are going to have more value in the coming years. Drafts will be deeper as good college players who stayed for NIL $ will start aging out and entering the draft. Teams with numerous FRPs, even non-lottery, will be able to get good rookie scale replacement players to fill out their rosters.

Western Conference picks should hold more value than Eastern Conference picks. 1 injury in the west can get you in the lottery, while in the East anybody can make the playoffs if they just tryin to win

[exstatic]

theyre also going to have some internal improvement. daniels should build on a breakout year. risacher started slow but came along strong in the second half of the year, should be better. jalen johnson missed more than half of last year.

what if kobe bufkin becomes a nice bench scorer too?

He already had his breakout year, and the only number that improved per 36 was steals.

[scott]

I wish I had the same hope in America as exstatic has for Atlanta 26 and 27 picks ending up in the lottery.

[spurraider21]

He already had his breakout year, and the only number that improved per 36 was steals.
he just turned 22 near the end of the season. he's not done getting better.

and im aware he had a breakout year. thats why my post specifically mentioned his breakout year and building on it

uhh, he also increased his scoring from 9.5 per 36 to 15. being able to scale up your per 36 production from a bit role to a starting role is a big deal. being able to do so while increasing your efficiency is particularly good

[exstatic]

I wish I had the same hope in America as exstatic has for Atlanta 26 and 27 picks ending up in the lottery.

They won’t have to be. My hope is in the Spurs. Atlanta will be nothing but mid, draft pick wise. I think we’ll be 20+, so the swap is a plus.

Do you remember in the last few years top seeds Memphis and Sacramento? Everyone was like where the fuck did they come from? That’s us next year.

[scott]

They won’t have to be. My hope is in the Spurs. Atlanta will be nothing but mid, draft pick wise. I think we’ll be 20+, so the swap is a plus.

Do you remember in the last few years top seeds Memphis and Sacramento? Everyone was like where the fuck did they come from? That’s us next year.

I admire and appreciate the optimism.

[Splits]

They won’t have to be. My hope is in the Spurs. Atlanta will be nothing but mid, draft pick wise. I think we’ll be 20+, so the swap is a plus.

Do you remember in the last few years top seeds Memphis and Sacramento? Everyone was like where the fuck did they come from? That’s us next year.

Can you please just stop with the Atlanta pick predictions? You have been nothing but wrong, not just wrong but horribly wrong, so just fuckin stop please

[RC_Drunkford]

there's a good chance Giannis ends up on the Hawks if his agent gets the job there

[Mr. Body]

Damn if you forced me to pick between Milwaukee and Atlanta I don't know which I'd pick. They both suck.

[LeBowen]

Are we still doing the Giannis trade gimmick?