The Hawks have plenty of new faces on the roster after being very active Thursday ahead of the 3 p.m. trade deadline. So, they’ll look to figure out the roles of the new players filling out their roster.
On Thursday, the Hawks acquired Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two pick swaps from the Cavaliers in exchange for De’Andre Hunter. They also acquired Terance Mann, Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland and three second-round picks from the Clippers for Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Since the Hawks acquired four players for the two they sent out, they had 16 players under guaranteed to deals. When the Hawks made the deals official just after midnight Friday, they announced that they waived forward David Roddy to bring them to the maximum 15 players allowed.
LeVert and Niang touched down at the Hawks' practice facility following the team’s shootaround ahead of Friday’s game against the Bucks. The two, along with Mann, were listed as questionable for Friday’s game. Hyland already was ruled out with the trade still pending.
In all four players, the Hawks acquired strong shooters who can space the floor and add more consistency from deep. Hyland, LeVert, Mann and Niang all are shooting 35% or better on 3-point shots this season and can help the Hawks punish opponents from the perimeter.
The Hawks have struggled a bit with consistent scoring outside of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and formerly Hunter off the bench. But with the new additions, the Hawks have added a little more consistency to the bench.
LeVert, who is in the midst of a career year in efficiency from outside, came into the NBA known as a crafty ballhandler and scorer. The Hawks have needed players who can attack the basket and go and get their shot. The nine-year veteran can provide the Hawks with a secondary facilitator off the bench, while also providing solid on-ball defense.
The Hawks could likely use LeVert alongside Dyson Daniels when Young goes to the bench, while also providing backup for Daniels. He has some versatility, giving the Hawks the ability to slide him up the lineup to small forward if they shift to a smaller lineup.
Niang, like LeVert, has also shot over 40% and gives the Hawks another big body that can take up space and potentially slow opponents. He can also play multiple positions with previous teams utilizing him as a small-ball center.
Mann also brings versatility to the Hawks rotation and has earned a good reputation for his feel for the game. The 28-year-old has spent much of his career at shooting guard but can play some minutes at small forward. He recently returned to playing after a finger injury forced him to miss 10 games.
In the Hawks’ announcement of the trade, general manager Landry Fields did not mention Hyland by name. That has led some observers to question whether Hyland will remain on the team.
Should the Hawks keep Hyland, who becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season, they add another point guard to the roster. The Hawks have needed another ballhandler on the roster who can handle shot creation at a high level. It was one of Hyland’s strong suits coming out of Virginia Commonwealth.
Off-court issues and being buried on depth charts have stymied Hyland’s playing time. So, Hyland will have plenty to prove should he remain in Atlanta.
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