Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Hawks

When you look at the Hawks roster right now, it is very clear to see that they have two main strengths: shooting and depth. The number of perimeter threats they have on this roster is absurd and they are one of the few teams in this league who can truly play 10 or 11 guys per night and be confident in the production they will get from all of them. 

Ben Simmons is under contract through the 2024-25 season and with no certainty of what will happen with John Collins after this season, it could be extremely beneficial for the Hawks to pull the trigger and flip him for an established superstar. 

The Hawks are very high on John Collins and Cam Reddish as they continue to develop, but time is ticking and every second Atlanta waits, it could hurt them. Trae Young is the best player on this team and the leader of the team, but they do not have a solid No. 2 guy next to him. Perhaps Collins could move into that role this year, assuming he puts up numbers like he did last year, but they have so many weapons that it will be hard to decipher who is the true second option on offense.

This team reminds me a lot of the Miami Heat team from last year, having one superstar player in Jimmy Butler lead the charge and then a bunch of other high-level role players around him. Granted, Butler did have Bam Adebayo, who was named an All-Star last year and Gordan Dragic, who is a former All-Star. 

If the Hawks keep their current roster, they should definitely be a playoff team, but with Ben Simmons, they could be more now and moving forward. Given their three-point talent and shooting on the perimeter, Ben Simmons would have a field-day passing to open shooters and pushing the ball in transition. 

Even though Trae Young is the team’s point guard and has been their primary ball-handler, he is just as fantastic playing off-the-ball as he is with the ball in his hands. Putting Simmons on the court with him basically gives the Hawks a two point guard lineup that could be extremely difficult for other teams to guard.

Ben Simmons is an overall better talent than John Collins and with his abilities to be a point guard from the perimeter or in the low-post, he could be exactly what the Hawks need to elevate themselves into championship contention in the Eastern Conference for years to come.