My guy has talked around NBA circles of late

[Spud2nique]

24 minutes ago, Sothron said:

You got a bad memory Spud lol. We've talked about this in PMs on here before. I've had sources in the Hawks going back to when Jason Walker was covering the team on realgm. That is now down to one source. I stopped posting insider rumors on here several years back because I was getting death threats with pictures of my house and my address against me and Mrs. Sothron. I left the site for years. Dolfan convinced me to come back. I rarely post any insider rumors now because @NBASupes and @thecampster have their own sources and what they report is generally just a different wording from what my source tells me. There's stuff my source will sometimes tell me in no uncertain terms not to repeat.

To answer your question, yes, we're checking in on Ben as part of Travis's due diligence. I don't expect Ben coming here because Morey is still hoping to get Dame or something like that. We don't have someone like that to trade them. 

I can’t believe I thanked you for telling me I have a $hitty memory. Boy I must like you.

[thecampster]

51 minutes ago, marco102 said:

Calling all insiders. 

@NBASupes, @Sothron, @thecampster

How legit is this and what would it cost? 

I'm not opposed to Ben, but that means Capela has to go.

Anyone got the text of the Mark Stein article he referenced? Just the Hawks stuff.

[marco102]

2 minutes ago, thecampster said:

Anyone got the text of the Mark Stein article he referenced? Just the Hawks stuff.

I'm searching for it. I'm not subscribed to his website. Sure someone will post it soon.

[Sothron]

14 minutes ago, thecampster said:

I talked about this like 2 years ago when explaining why you'll hear us say "I've been sitting on this rumor for 2 weeks".  That right there tells me you're legit.

Rumor types:

1. You're told directly X,Y,Z is happening with no preconditions. Meaning you are free to tell anyone you want, just don't reveal the source.  Usually this is to apply pressure to the sides finalizing pieces to not back out. But can also be because it is going to happen but the teams can't comment on it yet. So it gets leaked to drum up media/marketing buzz. Facts, trading for a player ups ticket sales, television viewership.

2. You're told directly X,Y,Z might be happening, you are okay to talk about it but realize this isn't a done deal.  Meaning, they are trying to gauge fanbase support. If it creates buzz on the internet, the team who leaked might be more likely to act.

3. You're told X,Y,Z might go down, but do not talk about it. I'm serious, I'll cut you off if I see this on any of your socials."  Source has something hot but revealing it could quash the deal, get agents involved, cause problems, get competing teams involved, upset the fanbase, upset the player who you might get stuck with if it falls apart.  Typically this means the deal is tenuous and the negotiations are stiff...Team B is having to be convinced by your team its in their best interest to act now.  The last thing you want is a competing offer or a pissed off fanbase.

 

Option 3 is what gets you cut off from gossip.  So I talked about this before but one of my older sources talked about a marketing guy who was tasked to come up with marketing materials for a major sports franchise. One deal fell through and he had been the one leaking stories himself to reporters.  He lost his job. When its not a done deal and its a risky trade...usually stars on both sides involved, it gets hushed.

This post should be made a sticky at the top of the forum. This is why when you have sources it isn't a pipeline you can just always open up. I agree with everything you have listed. When my source says that can't be repeated I treat it as exactly that. I expect other people who have sources to follow the same common sense ..or they get cut off completely because you might get someone fired. 

[JayBirdHawk]

15 minutes ago, thecampster said:

Anyone got the text of the Mark Stein article he referenced? Just the Hawks stuff.

Don't have Stein's stuff but he most likely pulled it from this?

 

I'll post a few things shortly.

[JayBirdHawk]

1 minute ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Don't have Stein's stuff but he most likely pulled it from this?

 

I'll post a few things shortly.

Hollinger: I think Schlenk actually needs to think big, even if he ultimately ends up settling for something smaller. This team has a fairly long window for doing big things given the ages of the core players, but that doesn’t change the fact that part of the window is right now.

That said, I think there are three players who would be very tough to move: Young, Capela and Collins. Young isn’t going anywhere, obviously. Capela, even in his diminished play this year, is one of the few things keeping this team out of 30th in defensive efficiency, so unless there is a clear upgrade at center available, I don’t see how any deal with him in it makes sense. Also, there’s the little issue that his recent extension makes him ineligible to be traded until after the season. Collins? Maybe in the right deal, he’s more available than the other two, but I hardly see him as part of the problem right now, either. Trading him to fix the hole on the wings would only create a new hole at the four.

After that … I mean, the Hawks are really well-positioned to make a trade in terms of picks, players and contracts. They have midsized expiring contracts of players they don’t especially need (Lou Williams, Dieng and Wright), they have young players and draft picks to sweeten the pot (Reddish, Okongwu and Jalen Johnson, plus they own all their future first-round picks and have three future seconds from other teams), and they have a few midsized contracts (like that of Bogdanovic) to create matching salaries in a larger deal.

In short, Schlenk has a ton of flexibility here and can go in a lot of different directions. The one thing he probably can’t do as much is take on money, given that the Hawks are less than $2 million from the tax line.

What should he target? A good wing who defends and can play off the ball next to Young. Easier said than done, but such a player would substantially raise this team’s ceiling. You can see why Schlenk swung on the picks for Hunter and Reddish to find that guy; maybe they’ll eventually fit the bill, but it hasn’t happened yet.

 

Quote

Let me throw some names out at you. I’ll start with some big ones. The Pacers seem like a team that will look drastically different after the trade deadline passes. We’ve already reported that they’re exploring a potential rebuild with Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert possibly available for the right price.

Boston is a mess. You mention a wing who could defend and play off the ball next to Young. I doubt the Celtics want to break up the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo, but what about Marcus Smart? He’d at least bring the toughness on the floor that the Hawks are sorely lacking, and he’s a proven defender.

Of course, Ben Simmons is still out there. I’m a believer in Simmons’ game, even after having a front-row seat to his collapse in the playoffs. Depending on where he is mentally and what role he’s looking for, Young and Simmons offensively would be a nightmare. Simmons is one of the game’s best defenders, and he’d at least provide some creation when Young is on the bench — an area that has killed the Hawks this season, and, well, for all of Young’s career. Again, there’s probably an issue with the spacing because of Capela also being a non-shooter, but this team, as of right now, isn’t a title contender anyway, and you could still try moving Capela if necessary in the offseason.

I wanted to ask you about two other wings who could be difference-makers for the Hawks: Detroit’s Jerami Grant and Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes. Both of those teams could use more young players and cap space. I’m thinking something like Danilo Gallinari, who only has $5 million guaranteed for next season, and Reddish could be the framework for a deal for both players.

 

Quote

Kirschner: That kind of leads me to my final question for you. Atlanta might just simply get better by making smaller moves to improve at the margins, much like the Braves did before MLB’s trade deadline. Those smaller moves led to a World Series title, because those players turned out to be massive contributors.

Improving the Williams and Gallinari minutes would go a long way for the Hawks. Getting a true backup point guard who can create and shoot could stabilize the second unit and not allow the bench to kill leads.

Are there any players of this mold that you see out there who could become available that the Hawks should be inquiring about?

Hollinger: It would help them if a few more teams would drop out of the playoff race. The addition of the Play-In Tournament has made it harder for buyers at the trade deadline, because relatively fewer teams are selling.

The guy we haven’t talked about who I absolutely think the Hawks should try to acquire is San Antonio’s Derrick White, a tough defender at the two who can do enough on the ball to masquerade as a point guard while Young is out of the game. He’s signed for the next three years at very reasonable money ($54 million total); I’m assuming he’d require Reddish, a first and another expiring contract (probably Wright).

Moving further down market, one guy who probably won’t cost a ton is Portland’s Robert Covington, a 3-and-D forward who could fill Gallo’s role and play some at the backup three, but Portland would be looking to cut money on a deal with him and get out of the luxury tax; as with Boston above, that presents a problem for the Hawks. Wright, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and two seconds for Covington would put the Hawks into the tax; they’d have to drop off somebody like Dieng on another roster to get back under.

Finally, another player I would ask about: Memphis’ Kyle Anderson. He’s a quirky fit because he’s not much of a shooter, but he’s a good perimeter defender and handles well enough to operate as a point guard with the second unit. He’s on an expiring deal, and I don’t know if Memphis is going to bring him back after this season; gaining his Bird rights could position the Hawks to keep him beyond this year.

 

[terrell]

2 hours ago, bleachkit said:

If Grant is the best we can do better to just stay put. 

Agreed...

[marco102]

6 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Hollinger: I think Schlenk actually needs to think big, even if he ultimately ends up settling for something smaller. This team has a fairly long window for doing big things given the ages of the core players, but that doesn’t change the fact that part of the window is right now.

That said, I think there are three players who would be very tough to move: Young, Capela and Collins. Young isn’t going anywhere, obviously. Capela, even in his diminished play this year, is one of the few things keeping this team out of 30th in defensive efficiency, so unless there is a clear upgrade at center available, I don’t see how any deal with him in it makes sense. Also, there’s the little issue that his recent extension makes him ineligible to be traded until after the season. Collins? Maybe in the right deal, he’s more available than the other two, but I hardly see him as part of the problem right now, either. Trading him to fix the hole on the wings would only create a new hole at the four.

After that … I mean, the Hawks are really well-positioned to make a trade in terms of picks, players and contracts. They have midsized expiring contracts of players they don’t especially need (Lou Williams, Dieng and Wright), they have young players and draft picks to sweeten the pot (Reddish, Okongwu and Jalen Johnson, plus they own all their future first-round picks and have three future seconds from other teams), and they have a few midsized contracts (like that of Bogdanovic) to create matching salaries in a larger deal.

In short, Schlenk has a ton of flexibility here and can go in a lot of different directions. The one thing he probably can’t do as much is take on money, given that the Hawks are less than $2 million from the tax line.

What should he target? A good wing who defends and can play off the ball next to Young. Easier said than done, but such a player would substantially raise this team’s ceiling. You can see why Schlenk swung on the picks for Hunter and Reddish to find that guy; maybe they’ll eventually fit the bill, but it hasn’t happened yet.

 

 

 

White for Reddish? I'll pass.  Maybe White for Lou Williams and a second.

[terrell]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Would need to be an offseason trade with Capela since he cannot be traded this season.

Last rumors were Hawks offered Gallo, Reddish, 1st? ...Morey asked for the kitchen sink with all the plumbing pipes and copper...Hawks said NO

(I'm not Soth, Camp or Supes but I stayed at a Holiday in last night)

Copper or Cooper? lol

[JeffS17]

7 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Hollinger: I think Schlenk actually needs to think big, even if he ultimately ends up settling for something smaller. This team has a fairly long window for doing big things given the ages of the core players, but that doesn’t change the fact that part of the window is right now.

That said, I think there are three players who would be very tough to move: Young, Capela and Collins. Young isn’t going anywhere, obviously. Capela, even in his diminished play this year, is one of the few things keeping this team out of 30th in defensive efficiency, so unless there is a clear upgrade at center available, I don’t see how any deal with him in it makes sense. Also, there’s the little issue that his recent extension makes him ineligible to be traded until after the season. Collins? Maybe in the right deal, he’s more available than the other two, but I hardly see him as part of the problem right now, either. Trading him to fix the hole on the wings would only create a new hole at the four.

After that … I mean, the Hawks are really well-positioned to make a trade in terms of picks, players and contracts. They have midsized expiring contracts of players they don’t especially need (Lou Williams, Dieng and Wright), they have young players and draft picks to sweeten the pot (Reddish, Okongwu and Jalen Johnson, plus they own all their future first-round picks and have three future seconds from other teams), and they have a few midsized contracts (like that of Bogdanovic) to create matching salaries in a larger deal.

In short, Schlenk has a ton of flexibility here and can go in a lot of different directions. The one thing he probably can’t do as much is take on money, given that the Hawks are less than $2 million from the tax line.

What should he target? A good wing who defends and can play off the ball next to Young. Easier said than done, but such a player would substantially raise this team’s ceiling. You can see why Schlenk swung on the picks for Hunter and Reddish to find that guy; maybe they’ll eventually fit the bill, but it hasn’t happened yet.

 

 

 

Interesting he doesn't mention Hunter as a young guy to "sweeten the pot".  Also, I think I'm going crazy reading so many takes on how we need to improve the offense of the second unit.  I feel like the narrative on our 2nd unit that constantly circulates is off.  Our second unit gets us into holes because of the defense imo, not offense.  The offense is not good but the defense is absolutely atrocious.  I think our 2nd unit offense can be fixed with better rotations, and I think we are completely misguided if we want to add offensive firepower to the second unit en lieu of better defenders.  

[NBASupes]

John Collins is not someone Atlanta will let go of easily. Even for another player at the same level. 

[bleachkit]

13 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

John Collins is not someone Atlanta will let go of easily. Even for another player at the same level. 

If you're talking offensive efficiency, there aren't many at his level. 

[Peoriabird]

21 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

John Collins is not someone Atlanta will let go of easily. Even for another player at the same level. 

And they shouldn't despite the numerous Hawksquawk Collins detractors

[Diesel]

1 hour ago, marco102 said:

It's a strange, but intriguing fit. Ben would have to be willing to actually play like a four with Trae and guard centers.  Not sure that will work out well, but his defense is the one thing about him that's not overrated.  With Trae's ability to make a great offense on his lonesome, it is a trade I'd consider.  Not sure what they would have to give up for him though.  Def one of the young wings and a couple of first round picks. 

Why does everybody say that.  He can play like a 3.  Scottie Pippen style.  A 2 if you like.   With JC playing the 4, there's that versatility. 

 

[marco102]

4 minutes ago, Diesel said:

Why does everybody say that.  He can play like a 3.  Scottie Pippen style.  A 2 if you like.   With JC playing the 4, there's that versatility. 

 

Because threes and twos are willing and can shoot.

Ben can guard whoever on the other end. I am speaking strictly offensively.

Edited January 7, 2022 by marco102

[JTB]

I am pretty sure that any deal for Simmons does not include John collins. Schlenk isn’t stupid! That would only cause additional problems.

I think any Simmons trade for the hawks means either hunter or reddish is involved along with Bogi and Gallo plus some picks …maybe an additional filler from the 76ers to make the deal work if needed. 
 

if morey wants more shooting around embiid I’m sure he’s heavily interested in Bogi and adding hunter or reddish young type player only sweetens the pot. Add gallo for off the bench purposes and he’s probably thrilled when looking at the shooting 3 ball aspect.

 

for the hawks, if we can’t move capela right now that would mean Simmons comes in at the 3…Huerter at the 2…hunter or reddish whichever don’t get traded on the bench???…yeah if capela could be moved it would make this easier to complete if that’s the desire. Capela and Simmons only works defensively. Offensively it’s terrible.

[bleachkit]

Another thing you have to consider with Ben Simmons. His personality. Cool, detached, standoffish. Not exactly the best for team vibes. 

[JTB]

6 minutes ago, Diesel said:

Why does everybody say that.  He can play like a 3.  Scottie Pippen style.  A 2 if you like.   With JC playing the 4, there's that versatility. 

 

Can’t play Simmons with a true center style like capela that’s why everyone keeps saying it! Not in this era.

[JTB]

5 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

Another thing you have to consider with Ben Simmons. His personality. Cool, detached, standoffish. Not exactly the best for team vibes. 

Well when it comes to emotions it could be he’s that way to Philly and only Philly. Maybe he don’t like doc or embiid….we could see a completely different reaction playing with Trae and Collins. 
 

this may be where collins is ahead of Trae in leadership and maybe schlenk thinks collins leadership would reel in Simmons.

[Sothron]

FWIW my guy feels Kyle Anderson is a low key quality add that Travis is more likely to go for.