NBA trade season: Breaking down the Southeast Division landscape

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With the lights of Las Vegas firmly shut down on this season’s NBA Cup, which ended Tuesday night, teams and fans now shift into holiday mode as a much-needed break for the next big event that’s bound to draw significant interest.

That event, needless to say, is the Feb. 6 trade deadline, when struggling teams look to bottom out in the hopes of attaining a better draft pick and when good teams look to make a move with an eye on the NBA Finals in June.

Let’s close out the Eastern Conference with a look at the Southeast Division.

Previous divisions: Atlantic | Central

Atlanta Hawks

Status: Competitive
Approach: Flexible

Bottoming out isn’t in the cards for the Hawks because San Antonio owns their 2025 first-round selection. This has allowed Atlanta to focus on winning and building a coherent team with an eye toward the future.

While that’s NBA romanticism at its best, the Hawks do have some issues to sort out, beginning with the players that might not play a significant role in their future plans, such as Bogdan Bogdanović and Clint Capela.

Bogdanović, who is 32, remains enormously talented and a genuinely strong starter when he’s healthy. He’s on a descending contract, meaning he earns less money the longer the contract goes, which should also make him a trade asset, especially for teams looking to make a run.

As for Capela, he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Hawks could choose to re-sign him, assuming both sides agree to a number that makes sense, so between both, the 30-year-old looks more inclined to stick around.

The Hawks, generally, aren’t in a rush to do something, nor should they be. De’Andre Hunter has improved, and Trae Young has embraced the role of leader, which should give Atlanta all the more reason to just ride out this season and make their trades during the summertime.

Likelihood of trade: Small

Charlotte Hornets

Status: Rebuilding
Approach: Buyers

While the Hornets have cycled through injuries all year long, they appear to be on the right track. LaMelo Ball has leveled up his production, as has Brandon Miller, and if Mark Williams can prove to be healthy over a long period of time, that is a…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-trade-season-breaking-down-the-southeast-division-landscape-152624597.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-18 15:26:00

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