Wretch

KAT is a loser that doesn't play defense and doesn't know how to win. I hope the TWolves get to The Finals and win it all. Then maybe Hawks fans would stop talking about trading for him and we can focus on defense.

I didn't realize my guy was at the end of his deal. Even though Ingram has been at the top of my wish list for a very long time, his FAcy is too much of a gamble even for me. If we're trading Murray, we need to maximize on the return. A rental ain't it without knowing for sure we're going to contend.

Holy sh!t really...? Wow... Yeah, Hayes was I guy that I liked, but he wasn't my overall pick in 2020. Lamelo is who I wanted and was hoping we'd trade up for. My second option was trading out of the draft or down for Nesmith.

I wholeheartedly disagree. For one, I don't think we really had a debate as much as the Squawk loved both players and maybe favored one over the other. Secondly, I can say with absolute authority that player development takes longer than a year and a half. There simply is not a good enough sampling to judge AJ's ceiling or floor right now - made more complicated by whatever is going on with him this year. I would err on the side of caution and try to develop him. I can't imagine anything he returns right now making a real difference for us.

At least for me, him breaking out is only part of the equation. The other consideration is...what do you even get for him? If it's just a token late first or a couple of 2nds, what did you even trade him for? Obviously we should make the deal if the assets returned are a precursor to a larger deal, if he's included in a larger deal, or if you can get a player with the same level of potential back. But trading him to experiment with some lateral moves/rentals makes no sense to me. That's sounds like trading a player just to be trading - which is an absolutely terrible idea for a player with as much potential as he showed just last season. The better route is to develop him. Fix whatever the hell went wrong with him and Quinn or ship him to the G-League. If for no other reason than increasing his value... It makes zero sense to let him rot on the bench or just give him away.

I'm assuming the point is that it takes a willing partner to make a deal? I agree, but that's making the assumption that there's nothing out there. I'm not expecting a blockbuster. There's available players that could help stabilize the team even if we don't hit a home run. I'm looking at these smaller deals and wondering if we tried to get in on the action or if we've just taken our "Murray ball" and gone home. Obviously things could change in the long run, so I'm fully prepared to wait and see (and I think we all have enough experience with that).

I fully expect Landry to say those literal words at 15:00:01 EST

This is where I'm at. Even if you can get a really good role player, you don't trade an All-Star caliber PG, and the biggest name on the market, for a role player and picks. You swap DJ out for an EQUALLY impactful talent at a different position, period. And if you can't get a fair deal now, then you sit on his cap friendly contract until you do (or the team improves).

Oh I've heard about those damn courts they play on over there. Coincidence....? I THINK NOT JAYBIRD! Pay no attention to the text in the upper right corner. This is IN FACT 100% legit, real news.

Congratulations Trae! If you make it out alive... What could possibly go wrong? lol

These are some strong points dude and just makes me scratch my head. We just can't catch a break as Hawks fans man... Our franchise player can't make an ASG, even after being a fan vote leader. Our rookies can't stay healthy or get PT because.......reasons. We can never have front office stability - not without some kind of strange drama. Go ahead and sprinkle in a little trade request...that isn't really a trade request...for a player that has everything the league wants...but also seems to have no real value beyond token 1st round picks. Sorry ya'll. I'm just venting...lol

To be clear... I'm not in the habit of giving guys a pass arbitrarily. We need players, not bodies. That said, AJ is like any young prospect to me that shows potential. He hasn't been injured (that we know of) and before this offseason he seemed like a very humble and stable individual. So, for me, he's just as promising as he was in year 1. I'm not saying he will develop into an All-NBA caliber player, but rookies take time to develop and I'm willing to give him a bit longer than 1 1/2 seasons (with the half season being plagued with personal trouble). If we can package him for a major upgrade or a player with as much potential as he showed in year one...I'm all for moving him. I don't see the benefit in pawning a promising rookie (from only a season ago) for a serviceable asset that barely moves the needle for us (if at all) while we struggle to secure a play in seed. I'm not arguing that he will return to form. Only that he's worth holding onto and figuring out what has gone wrong vs allowing someone else to get him for cheap and do the same.

If there is a keep AJ camp, then put me there. I hate it that he's going through so much and I'm not ready to give up on him. Even if he ultimately decides to just walk away from basketball, I'd rather gamble on him putting his life and his game back together. He was too promising last year just to pawn him for peanuts. Especially when we are a long way from contender status.

"Not a lot of difference makers on the market so...[Lakers fans need to be prepared to lose Austin Reaves and several token 1st rounders for Dejounte Murray]"

Draft picks are important...when you are rebuilding. If we were going that route, the best thing to do would be trade everyone but JJ for a boatload of HIGH draft picks and promising, young, LOTTERY PICK CALIBER players. That's a complete reset...just to hope and pray that just one or two of those picks/players is as good as the two young, veteran, players that we just got rid of. I wouldn't do that even if Trae asked for a trade. I would try to swap him for another elite talent and keep it moving. People don't understand that we have done the hardest part of building a contender. You don't just find elite talent and it doesn't just walk in the door - unless your LA, NY, or you have elite talent and have expertly positioned your cap to entice someone. We need to make the most of this and move forward, not take steps backwards.

Man, this is just all kinds of interesting. lol

Oh the plot thickens. lol Man, this is just as interesting as what we do on the court. Moreso because we're losing RN. lol

Dude, this is MY JAM right here. Like...I felt this in my SOUL. I don't know if I wholly agree with the urgency of adding quality rotational players, but the primary goal of any FO that is not in contention should be to establish an elite core of players. Over the years, the Squawk has had a real tendency to overemphasize the importance of complimentary players. To the point that we were actually debating whether or not we could contend with a team full of JUST complimentary players. ...which, strangely enough, we did and I looked very foolish in the wake of it.

And this is why I maintain that I'm not going to put this all on Landry, Kyle, and Co. There's a lot of mess that has spilled over from a previous direction we were going in and decisions made before they came in. The unknown is what's troubling me. I understand quite well the strategic clickbait articles and wild rumormongering. I honestly just don't know how to gauge the influence that these agents/agencies have.

I'm not sure why we are always so quick to polarize everything. We have roster issues and we have chemistry issues. Both things are true and legitimate concerns. I don't think anyone believes bringing in one player is going to fix everything. I know that I don't believe that. There are some that think just improving the offense will turn it around and some who think we only need to tighten up the defense. Regardless, I think EVERYONE knows that we have issues all over the court, especially the front court given that we've only been discussing it for 3 years. This is derailing the thread though as a specific question was asked and people answered with their opinion. Commentary of the accuracy of the message is wholly irrelevant. The subject of the practice/in-game discrepancy made the comment, is a Hawks player, and also just happens to be the subject of the trade rumors. In doing this, Dejounte has literally taken public shots at his own coach. There's a reason why they don't let this stuff get out. There is no universe where you can convince me that player rifts don't affect the game...especially when things are not going well. No one is any more of an idiot for pointing out the obvious chemistry issues anymore than you would be for pointing out the obvious problems with our roster.

It's Quin. Like, I don't mean he's a bad coach or anything. It's just that if you're asking what the culprit is...then it's the shift in coaching schemes leading to chemistry issues. It's not JUST one thing or player and it never is. However, adjustments to the offense are affecting things from top to bottom, on and off the court.

Long before any of the trade stuff got out, I caught wind of some of this drama from Twitter. Murray's dad was going in hard about his son playing out of position. Trae's dad was offering support on some of those Tweets. Thing about Trae's dad though is he's very careful with this words and it's clear he's taught his son the same thing. These dudes know we hang on every word, so it struck me as odd but I didn't put much thought into it. Everything is coming out in the wash though. Yeah... Honestly Soth, I have enough to draw my own conclusions. There's work to be done to shape this team up and Quin is putting in his opinion, as he should. I am laughably out of my depth trying to understand what an NBA coach sees in a player and I wouldn't even dream of trying. That said, all indications from the outside looking in though are that Dejounte isn't interested in Quin's vision/schemes and from a surface level glance, he isn't fitting in with it.

Perfectly said.