A Dorian Finney-Smith move would do more than give the Hawks another defensive piece. It could put Mouhamed Gueye in a tough spot almost immediately.
Finney-Smith would arrive with the kind of résumé Atlanta would trust right away: perimeter shooting, defensive versatility and the ability to handle multiple positions. Those are the same boxes Gueye is still trying to check as a young player, but Finney-Smith would bring them with a level of reliability that fits a team trying to win now.
That matters because Atlanta’s frontcourt is already crowded. If Buddy Hield ends up being moved for Finney-Smith, President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh would still need to clear a roster spot, and Gueye could wind up being the cleanest solution.
The fit issue goes beyond simple numbers. Finney-Smith would give the Hawks many of the traits they hope Gueye can eventually provide, only with more experience and a much clearer ability to help right away.
Gueye is still an interesting developmental piece. He has length, defensive versatility and the ability to stretch the floor, and at 23 there is still room for him to grow into a real role under head coach Quin Snyder.
But Finney-Smith would bring similar qualities to Atlanta immediately. His shooting, flexibility and defensive background line up neatly with the identity the Hawks have built around players such as Dyson Daniels, Lu Dort and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
That overlap would make minutes harder to find for Gueye. Atlanta already has plenty of depth in the frontcourt, and adding another versatile forward would only tighten an already crowded situation for a team that still has to trim down to 15 players.
Gueye’s fractured left foot adds another layer to the decision. Atlanta does not have to move on from a young player just because he is recovering, but that injury becomes part of the calculation when the alternative is a veteran who can help right away.
The contract situation also works against Gueye. He is on a non-guaranteed deal worth roughly $2.4 million, which gives Atlanta a simple path to open up the necessary roster spot without touching more established parts of the rotation.
That becomes even more relevant if Hield is already headed to Charlotte in the hypothetical deal. In that case, the Hawks would still be swapping one roster player for another, so bringing in Finney-Smith would not solve the issue of getting down to 15.
Cutting Gueye would. It would clear the spot while replacing a developmental role with a proven veteran. For a Hawks team trying to take another step in the Eastern Conference, Finney-Smith would bring more immediate value, and Snyder would not have to carve out minutes for two players who fill similar jobs.
That does not mean Atlanta should rush to waive Gueye before anything is finalized. There is still value in his development, and the Hawks should not make a move like that based only on trade talk that may never turn into reality.
Still, if Saleh does land Finney-Smith, Gueye’s path gets a lot harder to justify. Between the non-guaranteed contract, the foot injury and the extra bodies already in the frontcourt, the Hawks may already have their simplest answer waiting for them.
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There is still a veteran presence in the mix to help carry some of the burden, which should make the transition easier for Flemings as he settles into the league. For a team looking to grow him the right way, the message feels pretty clear: let the rookie learn, let the minutes come naturally, and resist the urge to rush him into a starting job too soon. [Read more 🡒]