By Avi Tyagi

The Atlanta Hawks are attempting to thread the needle by retooling their roster to keep a solid floor and develop long–term upside. Atlanta, over the course of 48 hours, reaffirmed their belief in assembling a future contender around Trae Young. So far, the results have been surprisingly promising. Let’s examine their moves in reverse chronological order. 

The Atlanta Hawks traded Dejounte Murray for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, a 2025 Lakers unconditional first–round pick (a remnant from the AD trade), and the lesser of the Bucks and Pelicans 2027 pick. After months of rumors about shipping either Dejounte or Trae Young, ATL finally made their choice. Trae Young’s higher upside as a shot–creator and passer was prioritized over Dejounte’s defensive chops as a starting point guard and Dejounte’s lower yearly salary on his extension made him more desirable in trades. Dejounte and Trae struggled to find synergy as a backcourt. Dejounte was always best suited to shutting down the smallest guard on the roster, but had to take on shooting guards and sometimes wings on a roster like Atlanta’s that was so defensively challenged. On offense, he highlighted moments that could remind the audience of his days in San Antonio during his All–Star season, but Murray’s production and impact were (was) lessened because he’s so dependent on having the ball in his hands to unlock his best attributes. Pace wasn’t an issue, but half–court creation opportunities were. In San Antonio, Dejounte created transition shot opportunities about as often as he ended up doing with Atlanta. However, he ran 10.5 PNR possessions per game with the Spurs in 2022 versus 7.5 last season with Atlanta. He never found a wing or passing big to play off in Atlanta like Keldon Johnson or Jakob Poeltl. Keldon shot 40% from 3s in 2022 with Dejounte and was an excellent finisher within the paint even in the floater region, something no Hawks’ wing could replicate (not even Saddiq Bey). Poeltl’s passing allowed Dejounte to reset possessions and probe defenses for cracks within the paint to attack. It’s no wonder he averaged 21.7 passes and 3.3 assists per game to that duo. A career 34.5 percent 3–point shooter on middling volume, asking Dejounte to play off of Trae never really worked. Trae improved by baby steps defensively, but never took the leap as an off-ball shooter and offensive connector and seemed to relish every opportunity to continue to run his heliocentric PNR one–man show with Capela and other bigs. It was a failed marriage, but Atlanta did a very good job recouping value for a deal that was panned as an overpay at the time. At the nadir of Dejounte’s on-court value, the Hawks got back an older but still effective switching big, a young defensive guard prospect to protect Trae, an interesting flyer in Liddell, a potential lottery pick from the Lakers, and maybe another pick in the teens depending on how the next 30 or so months transpire for the Pelicans and Bucks. Considering that they traded their own 2025 unprotected and unprotected 2027 firsts, swap rights for 2026, and a lottery–protected Hornets pick that will likely convert to 2026 and 2027 2nd rounders for Dejounte in the first place, that’s a nice returning haul. This team was starting the two-way icon Vit Krejci and playing the Mat(t)hews duo of Garrison and Wes in order to save their season last year. No bueno señor. Even in the offseason, I would have made the argument that the Hawks’ incoming assets are better than their outgoing assets to San Antonio if they play their cards right. 30 games into the season, it feels almost inarguable.

Dyson Daniels

The Great Barrier Thief has been my front–runner for DPOY through the first half of the season. The man is a savant. Dyson Daniels has been everywhere. Watching him has made me reexamine what it means to be an all-time great defender. How can a taller defender with a slinky build, still maintain such a strong sturdy core, slide to spots faster than the superstars he’s guarding, and actively swipe at the ball with the sort of hit rate that reminds you of Juan Soto (if steals and deflections were equivalent to getting on base and fouls were strikeouts in this analogy)? It’s uncanny. I genuinely feel like he is attacking the offensive player rather than the other way around.

There’s no other way to describe this:

Or This:

McBride and LeBron each think they’ve found an opening and made a move. Before they even realize what’s happened, Dyson has already swiped at the ball. McBride was stuck on his pivot and before he even realized what he would pivot into or whether a pump fake would do anything, Dyson had already recognized an opportunity to attack the slightly outstretched ball from underneath. LeBron’s seen everything and been everywhere. At no point during that drive did King James expect to have the trailing defender jar the rock loose once he had split the defense. This is Dyson. He changes the calculus. The Atlanta Hawks, owners of a bottom-ten defense in six of the last seven seasons, sit at 15th on defense per Cleaning the Glass. From bottom-five last year to the middle of the pack, with only two new additions featured in their top 9 minute-getters this year: Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher. It’s a modern–day miracle frankly. Dyson is the key. Here is the list of players to average more than eight deflections per 48 minutes since 2016-17 (the first year of data): 2024-25 Dyson Daniels. No one else is in his realm, at a staggering 9.2 deflections per 48 minutes. He is from Revis Island.

For fun and sheer enjoyment, here are some audacious maneuvers against Kyrie of all people.

Even Kyrie’s perception of space and the word “open” were shredded by the sheer talent, focus, and effort from Dyson Daniels. That effort has trickled down to the rest of the roster. 

This is only the second time in the Trae Young era that the Hawks have allowed fewer than 42% of their opponent’s shots to come within 10 feet of the rim. Garrison Mathews has been more disciplined. Jalen Johnson has taken another step defensively as a secondary shot blocker. Most importantly, even if the bar is low, this is arguably Trae’s best defensive season. He’s actually competing on that end of the court, even if he’s still generally putrid. Trae’s allowing fewer blow-bys and providing more resistance when opponents try to back him down in the paint. For the first time, when Trae’s the primary defender, less than 40% of shots opponents attempt are within 10 feet of the hoop. He’s actively participating as a defensive rebounder and actually swiping for steals when he has the opportunity, rather than solely as a gamble every time.

This is not every possession, but there are far more possessions like these, than we’ve ever seen before:

It’s a nice touch, and it all adds up. We’ll get to their offense later, but it’s nice that the defense has been something they can hang their hat on. You don’t beat the Celtics, Bucks, Knicks (twice), and 4-loss Cavaliers (twice) by sheer fortune. In 5 of those 6 games, the Hawks held their opponents to 116 points (around league average per 100 possessions via Cleaning the Glass) or under. Those aren’t the only game–changing moves they made. The wings they let leave and the ones they brought in instead further highlighted and amplified their commitment to a defensive roster.

AJ Griffin

Atlanta traded away AJ Griffin for the 44th pick, then traded a little cash to get to 43 for Nikola Djurisic. It was a statement trade. After an intriguing first season, AJ was in Coach Snyder’s doghouse all year. It wasn’t without fault either. Griffin hasn’t shown himself to even be an NBA fringe rotation quality defender and the 23-24 Hawks team had leaks sprouting up all over the place anyways. It was easier to save the hassle and trade him to Houston to free up a little more space and bring a different prospect in. Dur-is-itch is a messy prospect, but he’s inarguably a larger shot–creating wing with more defensive upside than AJ. AJ never profiled as a threat with the ball in his hands and has since retired. Even if Djurisic doesn’t make the league as even a 12th man at some point, the trade was a statement of intent. 

Saddiq Bey

Atlanta also chose not to offer Saddiq Bey his Qualifying offer and made him a UFA. Even if they had thought of bringing Bey back, his injury likely would have prevented him from making a dent in 24-25 and it doesn’t sound as though Atlanta was that committed to him anyway. The Wizards signed Bey to a contract befitting of a 4th forward instead. Just like every wing the Hawks have traded for or drafted the last few seasons, the allure of Saddiq Bey exceeded the impact. He’s just not a good enough defender to be a starting caliber wing and is likely best served as an 8th or 9th man. The Hawks finally recognized that and were ready to move on.

New Additions

David Roddy

Atlanta then seized upon Phoenix’s desperation, understandable impatience for wing projects with subpar shooting, and bare-bones roster to trade E.J. Liddell for David Roddy. Roddy was far, far more effective as a Summer League presence than Liddell was (perhaps further fueling Atlanta to go for it). Full disclosure: on draft day 2022, I had Liddell as a better–rated prospect than Roddy. I didn’t even think Roddy had had an NBA career that could warrant any minutes at this level before he joined ATL. Now he’s a solid 10th man. It’s another nice touch. In Snyder’s more egalitarian offense, Roddy has been asked to defend and finish cuts and handoffs in the paint when needed. He’s been up to the task and playable. Speaking of nice touches and playable depth, trading for Nance made it easier to now trade away Onyeka Okongwu or Capela depending on if they believe Onyeka can take the latter’s role long term. They might also be able to trade Nance for assets based on what Larry has looked like in a small sample. An 18 million dollar trade exception and steering further clear of the 1st apron are other notable perks.

Zaccharie Risacher

Now we get to the big move. The potential franchise definer in most classes. The Hawks drafted Risacher, number 1 overall in the draft. It’s very easy to see how they came to the conclusion. They felt Risacher and Reed Sheppard were the two best prospects in the draft (a report indicated they were going back and forth over the two) and chose to select Risacher because of his potential fit with Trae. Risacher profiles as a better long–term wing prospect than Hunter, Cam Reddish, AJ Griffin, and Saddiq Bey, all the wings they’ve loved before. There’s no other way to put it, the Hawks have been pitifully desperate. The Hawks spent the 4th, 9th, and 16th pick on the first 3 forwards mentioned, not to mention the 5!! second–round picks spent on Saddiq Bey. Here’s who went one pick directly after Hunter, Reddish, and Griffin respectively: Darius Garland, Cam Johnson, and Tari Eason. I say that to say that despite tepid reasons for optimism, I was not a fan of the pick. I thought it was misguided and another case of Atlanta simply chasing a wing. I had Reed Sheppard as my number 1 prospect on my big board and Risacher was number 15. To be fair, I thought the tier between 8-17 was relatively distinct and somewhat interchangeable to the point that I could have argued a case for Risacher as the 8th–best prospect. However, he was not part of my super 7. Sheppard led the way, followed by Sarr, Carter, McCain, Holland, Topic, and Castle. Reed’s a smaller guard with underrated athleticism whose major flaw is shot creation at the rim. He might just be a 2-level scorer capable of driving deep into the heart of the paint as a scorer is integral to creating shots as a primary option. His shot profile statistically as a freshman was closer to Devonte Graham in college than any other comparison point. His defense was also messy and a little too gambling-oriented so it will take some time to clean that up. I think Reed can slide with defenders and fight over and around screens better, it’s just a work in progress. He also went to Kentucky, where a long storied history of guards before him had similar or more concerning freshman seasons knocked them down in the draft as they tried to adapt their play style. Compared to Booker, Maxey, Jamal Murray, and Immanuel Quickley, Reed had by far the most impactful season and I expected him to be a ready-made perimeter shot creator. Some people viewed him as a mid-lottery talent because he’s enigmatic and an analytics darling who doesn’t pop on film and might physically be too slender (see: Haliburton’s 2020 fall discourse) but I truly see star potential. He had one of the best analytics profiles I’ve ever seen from a freshman at any position. His perimeter shot creation off the bounce and off the catch is extremely polished. His footwork is impeccable and his balance is tremendous for a young guard who is yet to grow fully into his frame. McCain, whom I had 4th, was a very similar prospect to me. I had just enough questions about McCain’s defense at the next level that I placed him 4th, even if he was a better rim attempt shot creator than Reed.

That is what I thought Atlanta may have just given up to pursue Risacher. Here is my previous profile on Zaccharie Risacher: Risacher is not a shot creator yet, his 3–point shooting is a little streaky and his release can sometimes vary from shot to shot (partially explaining why his free throw percentage is under 80%) which is a little scary for 3&D wing. He’s a work in progress and not an uber–athlete, but he uses his size well and can become a starting–caliber wing defender if he cleans up footwork and stops being so jumpy. The flashes as a shot creator have been sparse and most of his turnovers originated from trying to make something happen. He’s very skinny right now, so there might be some hope that there are some current athletic deficiencies that can be improved significantly a few years into the league. That might allow him to actually execute a few moves with his handle and attack closeouts with force. You see him run around and fire 3s off-ball and you see the outlines of something. The upside is probably a solid 3 and D wing who you can run actions for off-ball. Somewhere in the mold of Harrison Barnes with the athleticism of Troy Brown Jr. and a little of Keegan Murray’s abilities off-ball. We’re still far from that reality though so this is risky. He’s the best wing prospect they’ve drafted and he seems poised to be the best self he can be with Snyder, but he really does need years of training with Snyder and the coaching staff to approach those levels. Atlanta likely just committed itself to a core of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and Risacher, with Bogdan and Dyson Daniels as key members of their surrounding cast. They can create a better rotation on paper if they hit home runs on a Hunter trade and whichever one of their three centers they deal away, but there are clear risks.

That was what I thought they gave up. Here’s what we’ve seen so far. The 2024 draft class has been dreadful. I might write about this later, but even in draft classes known for having a death of multi-year starting-level players (1995 or 2000 for instance), you can at least get 7 players in every draft who meet that threshold. The 2024 class seems likely to be more in that realm and it’s hard to clearly identify any long-term multi-year NBA starters based on flashes of play at this point. Jared McCain was great pre-injury, Edey and Clingan have given hope that they can truly be starters at some point, but the rest of the class has been a mixed bag. Topic and Devin Carter have been injured, and productive players like Jaylen Wells and Dalton Knecht profile more as long-term bench shooters. Reed has been a dud offensively, and Stephon Castle has been a developmental scoring forward shooting under 45% from 2–point range. In a class like this one, Risacher as a top 5 pick starts looking like a favorable outcome. The 3-pointer isn’t ready for primetime, but we knew that would take time. I wish he’d provided more as a shot creator or secondary passer so far, but alas not. With all that said, he clearly has one skill he can hang his hat on: defense. He’s been the second–best perimeter defender (to Ryan Dunn) in a class without many other true candidates thus far. Risacher has been somewhat protected by Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and the solid (if unspectacular) rim protection of Capela. That said, he’s primarily played starters and admirably when switched onto stars like Jalen Williams, Donovan Mitchell, and LaMelo Ball. He hasn’t been a good player, but he’s probably been a top-10 player in this class and more valuable to his team than what we’ve gotten from Reed Sheppard thus far. Depending on how quickly he can improve his shot, I can see Risacher establishing himself as a more offensively capable, somewhat less athletic version of Isaac Okoro. That’s a massive win in a class where most teams have truly been left searching and scouring for any hints of positive play. Okoro’s a very solid player and an 8th man for a dominant Cavs team with an exceptional bench rotation that would be favored to at least make the ECF at least partially due to its strength in numbers. Risacher, Dyson, and Jalen could be a modern–day army of switchable wings capable of guarding 1-4. They’ve been forceful defensively and have helped a sometimes lackluster offense generate a plethora of easy opportunities in transition. This version of the Hawks is basically the Knicks’ kryptonite. On defense, the Hawks have the personnel to turn Brunson’s water off and force someone else to step up as a shot–creator to beat them in half–court sets. In transition, they might be too happy to take the first shot they see and not particularly effective at on-ball passing (Trae aside), but they can sprint out to so many opportunities that it doesn’t tend to hurt them. The pace and egalitarian playstyle (when Trae sits or isn’t on the ball) are also difficult for the methodical and slower–footed Knicks to counter. Brunson is so hunt-able defensively and the Knicks don’t always have the personnel to protect Towns and Brunson at the same time from Trae Young or Jalen Johnson. Which brings us to their most improved player.

Jalen Johnson

Jalen Johnson has taken another leap. De’Andre Hunter might have forgotten how to miss and Garrison Mathews might be enjoying a resurgent season by improving his feel for passing reads in a quicker Hawks’ system and carrying over scorching hot shooting from years past, but Jalen is the real story here. He’s taken small steps as a scorer (better at dribbling through some traffic to create paint points) and as a defender (even less foul–prone), but the passing is the highlight here. Jalen Johnson is averaging 7 assists per 100 possessions, a notable leap from 3.8 assists per 100 two seasons prior. He’s another addition to the tall passer club presided over by Nikola Jokic. In a draft class with Franz Wagner, Alperen Sengun, Cade Cunningham, and Scottie Barnes, we can now add Jalen Johnson to the mix. Most of the setups from which Jalen generates his assists aren’t overly special. His handle isn’t secure enough to really probe into the paint as a pick–and–roll ball handler and he’s not enough of a shooter to really demand some premium closeout 4 on 3 type opportunities either.

When opponents sag, what Jalen does best is typically just remain calm and search for high–value passes. He has nice synergy with the centers with a variety of arm angles and even in transition:

 He’ll uncork one of these Jokic specials every once in a while where he anticipates the completion of the cut with his back to the defense despite the cutter not yet crossing the face of the last defender: 

It’s what the Hawks needed to keep the trains on the track. This offense is meant to complement Trae and survive without him. He is the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option. When he’s on the court and they’re in trouble, they know they have a multi-time All–Star who can generate a good shot for them almost any time. No one wants to sing about the 17th–ranked offense, but that’s a really strong outcome when you consider that Trae is shooting 31.5% from 3 and 39% from floater range, well worse than career norms from both regions, despite a higher percentage of his diet being corner 3s than ever before. If Trae simply shoots to career norms, the Hawks instantly become a top–15 offense and defense. In the East, they are firmly the 7th best team. It’s quite an accomplishment when you consider that this was supposed to be a step back year on paper.

The bottom line: 2026 might be when Atlanta plans liftoff. Trae’s max extension has a 2026 player option. By 2026, the East could look very different. Embiid is injury prone as a center, Paul George would only have one more guaranteed year on his contract (since he could decline his 4th year player option to be FA), and the Celtics and Knicks would have had to reconfigure their teams and risk losing key pieces due to rising costs and draconian restrictions of the new CBA. The Sixers have already collapsed this season and the Bucks are older without any clear avenues to improvement. The Pistons’ supporting cast might still be too young, and the Pacers’ roster and timeline might be in turmoil by then. It’s the moment when the Hawks need to be ready to go, flush with avenues for acquiring a star and only Trae, Jalen Johnson, Risacher, and maybe Daniels and Okongwu are on the books at that point. It will be difficult but theoretically, they’ve already executed the difficult portion of the retool. Now they just have to convince ownership and go all in 2 seasons from now. Trae Young has brought attention to Atlanta that they haven’t had in a long time. Quin Snyder with a ball-screen heavy and off-ball cutting–based offense has united a roster through shared identity. Synergy between the front office, the coach, and the star promises the hope of long-term stability in Atlanta with a group that can inspire fan belief and support. At least for now, the Atlanta Hawks have reaffirmed their commitment to Trae and need Snyder to continue producing the alchemy needed to develop this roster into a playoff team with long–term upside.