“Now is not the time to try to rebuild”

The Atlanta Hawks are one of the most talked about teams in the NBA since winning the lottery yesterday. Atlanta defied the 3% odds they were given to land the No. 1 pick and they now have one of the most intriguing offseasons in the entire league in the coming months.

There is a lot of discussion about what the Hawks should do with the pick, whether they should trade him to try to get more immediate help from a veteran or if they keep the pick and take an intriguing player with high potential like Alex Sarr.

During NBAXLive, former Hawk Lou Williams made his opinion known that he wants the Hawks to try to trade the pick:

“Trade that pick. Trade that pick because, listen, you have the opportunity to go after some real assets and there are teams that could really use an Alex Sarr or someone like that, that can build for the future. Atlanta not building For the future, they still feel like they are in the race and they need a bounce back season. This is not the time to try to rebuild or rebuild. re-equip.”

Hawks general manager Landry Fields held a press conference after the Hawks won the lottery and, when asked about the possibility of trading the No. 1 overall pick, Fields said it was not not their priority at the moment:

“Not even our focus right now. For example…this is a time where the opportunity in front of us is great and it puts us in position. Positioning is key in this industry and that’s the position we have now, the No. 1 position. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing, come together as a group and we’ll figure this out in time.

That’s the question the Hawks will have to answer over the next six weeks. Atlanta still needs to sort out their backcourt situation and decide whether they’d rather keep Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, as it seems unlikely they’ll keep the backcourt together given the disappointing results they’ve had on the field over the past few years. of the last two seasons. .

There is also no consensus No. 1 player in this draft. Most place Alex Sarr at No. 1, but that’s by no means guaranteed. If a star player becomes available, Atlanta should at least consider trading their pick. If they don’t get an overwhelming offer for the No. 1 pick, they can just stay No. 1 and take their highest-rated player. Sarr would be a great fit for Trae Young and he has a very high ceiling on the defensive end, to go along with the length and athleticism. Any team could make a sponsor offer for the No. 1 pick, but Atlanta might be best positioned to stay put.