30 for 30: Hawks Heists

[kucoach7]

What if I told you that Duncan didn’t really get less?

Well I’d be fryeing lyng would I?

The Worst Trades Wig Has Ever Made
Atlanta Hawks GM, Wignosy hasn’t always hit homeruns on the trade market. In fact, his early trading experiences were fraught with the usual mistakes. Occasionally, as GMs, we make gambles, trading away our future 1st round picks in an effort to put our team over the top. Missing the playoffs in those years is brutal. We miss out on what we need the very most when our teams are struggling, lottery talent. The Hawks have only missed the playoffs 6 times in 29 seasons, an achievement in skill and perseverance as a GM and coach. However, in three of those 6 lottery years, Wig had traded away his 1st round pick.

In 1992, Wig wasn't just the reigning champion of the league, he was the only champion the league had ever seen. So when Wig coaxed Mario Ellie from the brand new Trailblazers GM, kucoach, for his 1st round pick and cap filler, the league groaned and moaned of trape and the impending 3-pete Hawks championship. However, Wig's big move didn't work. The Blazers drafted Jamal Mashburn (y/b) with the Hawks’ pick that ended up being the 10th pick of the draft. In 1994 the Sonics would use the Hawks pick, which they had also acquired in 1992 for Kendall Gill (y/y) and Charles Smith (y/y), to draft Damon Stoudamire (y/b). YIKES. In 1996 the Kings drafted Alvin Williams (y/g) 8th overall with the Hawks pick. Even Wig makes mistakes. Or should I say MADE mistakes

The Best Trades Wig Ever Made
No one has rocked the league with trades like the Hawks. A few big trades stick out over the past 30 seasons and I'm sure they are coming to the front of your mind as you read this.

12/27/1999
Hawks send Derrick Coleman, Ricky Davis, Hawks 01 first round pick, Bucks 01 first round pick (top 10 protection by Bucks), 5 points
Clippers send: Latrell Sprewell

Ricky Davis wasn't much at the time but he was 19 and ended up exceeding expectations and becoming a very good player but Derrick Coleman was old and the two picks didn't amount to much (the Bucks pick ended up being 6th [protected] and the Hawks pick was owned by the Sonics by the time it was used to draft Raul Lopez 29th. Meanwhile Sprewell was p/p do-it-all stud and would go on to win 2 championships in Atlanta.

6/28/2000
Hawks send: Corey Maggette, Raja Bell
Timberwolves send: Grant Hill, 8 points

To be fair, the T-Wolves got a nice haul for Grant Hill. Raja Bell was a y/b 3 and D prospect (that never reached his potential) and Corey Maggette was a super athletic 21 year-old g/b that was used to acquire Tom Gugliotta later that season. As for the Hawks’ return, well two championships made them forget their two young prospects pretty quickly.

10/1/2000
Mavs send: Penny Hardaway, 10 points
Hawks send: Donyell Marshall, Andre Miller, Hawks 2003 first round pick

Once again, Wig didn’t skimp on the price he paid here. Andre Miller was a stud 25 year old g/b point guard with A potential is passing, handling, perimeter defense, and steals. Jamison was also a 25 year old g/b and would become an elite scorer. Miller and Jamison would be stalwarts in Dallas for years, carrying them within four wins of a championship in 2001. Unfortunately, the Mavs would be swept the Hawks in those 2001 Finals, helmed by quite possibly the greatest player in PBSL history and the very player they had traded to them, Penny Hardaway.

6/25/2008
Hawks send: AK47, 10 points, and their 2010 first.
Jazz send: Tim Duncan

After some rebuilding, the Hawks made what was quite possibly the most controversial trade in PBSL history. They sent Anrei Kirilenko, a 28 year old TC embattled veteran, cash, and their 2010 first (that would turn into Tyler Zeller; he’s on the Knicks so you can ask Inner how that panned out) for 4 time MVP Tim Duncan. Duncan was 33 but 23.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG that season so he wasn’t ded by any means. Even if that is all he did and the Hawks lost him in free agency after that season that trade would have been worth it ten times over. But Duncan stayed with the Hawks for three seasons, making the finals once. He would win his only championship in his final season, 2013, at the age of 38, returning to the Hawks after two years in Minnesota.

Less Splashy, More Sustainable

In recent years, Wig has reinvented himself as a trader. He still makes seismic moves but he always has an eye on the future and the salary cap. He has relied on his ability to acquire solid veteran contributors at a discount through free agency to enable him to send away stars for prospects while the stars are still in their primes. Probably the first instance of this was trading Devin Harris, a g/g 29 year old that had started every game of his career for the Hawks for 23 year old y/g Jeremy Lin, 26 year old y/g Jeff Adrian, and 24 year old y/y Jeff Teague in 2012. After Lin and Adrian leveled up to blue potential and Wig signed Nate Robinson to a vet min, he shipped off Lin (in the final year of his rookie contract) for Khris Middleton (3 years left on rookie contract) and picked up a Rockets first round draft pick for his troubles. With Middleton developing nicely, Rudy Gay would be shipped off when he was 29 and had four years left on a massive contract to bring in 26 year old Draymond Green and 24 year old Victor Oladipo. Oladipo was flipped for James Harden later that season. When Harden hit 28, he would be traded for Harland Elinger and the #7 pick (which really really didn’t turn out well). Finally, in 2016 Wig traded 28 year-old Bojan Bodganovic for 23 year old y/b TJ Warren. Warren would leave via sign and trade for the 2021 Bulls first round pick.

The Future

What does the future hold for Wignosy and the Hawks? Well, by all indications Wig has been trying to Draymond Green for a while now. He’s 29, they just added DeMar DeRozan, and their payroll is massive so now seems like the time.

[NOLa.]

What if I told you that Duncan didn’t really get less?

Well I’d be fryeing lyng would I?

6/25/2008
Hawks send: AK47, 10 points, and their 2010 first.
Jazz send: Tim Duncan

Never forget that #Duncangotless

[WigNosy]

What if I told you that Duncan didn’t really get less?

Well I’d be fryeing lyng would I?

6/25/2008
Hawks send: AK47, 10 points, and their 2010 first.
Jazz send: Tim Duncan

Never forget that #Duncangotless

Also never forget that #NobodyOfferedMore

[ballsohard]

What if I told you that Duncan didn’t really get less?

Well I’d be fryeing lyng would I?

6/25/2008
Hawks send: AK47, 10 points, and their 2010 first.
Jazz send: Tim Duncan

Never forget that #Duncangotless

Also never forget that #NobodyOfferedMoreAtthatexactsecond

FIFY

[ballsohard]

5 Points sir!


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