The Atlanta Hawks spent the summer stacking talent and flexibility, and that combination has them positioned for something much bigger down the line: a run at Anthony Edwards if he ever becomes available.
Atlanta added Kingston Flemings in the draft, brought back CJ McCollum, and made two separate deals with the Oklahoma City Thunder to land Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins. That’s a strong supporting cast on its own. It also gives the Hawks the kind of roster structure that can absorb a superstar trade if the right name hits the market.
Edwards is not on the move now. Minnesota just traded for LaMelo Ball to help him, and the Timberwolves have had plenty of success with Edwards leading the way over the past few years. They’ve reached multiple Western Conference finals, and with Ball joining him in the backcourt, they’ll have another chance to push forward in the seasons ahead.
Still, there have been under-the-radar rumblings over the years about Edwards’ interest in Atlanta. If that ever turns into something more serious and he asks out in the next few years, the Hawks look built to jump in.
A big part of that comes down to money. Atlanta doesn’t have any awful contracts on its books, and heading into next year, it has a lot of expiring money. That gives the Hawks room to keep rolling deals forward and turn those contracts into trade assets if a superstar becomes available.
It doesn’t have to be Edwards specifically. Atlanta could chase any star that reaches the market. But the connection to Edwards is obvious enough that it’s hard not to talk about it.
For Minnesota, losing him would be a disaster, which is why the Wolves are trying to keep putting new talent around him. The problem is the Western Conference is unforgiving. With the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the mix, there’s a real path where the Timberwolves keep coming up short of the Finals even with Edwards as their centerpiece.
If that happens, the Hawks may be waiting.
In Other News...
Timberwolves May Be Exactly What Isaiah Evans Needs Right Now
Isaiah Evans first summer league appearance in Minnesota had to wait because a pending four-team trade kept his acquisition from becoming official, but once he got on the floor he had a chance to show the Timberwolves why they were interested. Across his first run of games, he averaged 10.5 points and flashed the kind of scoring touch that made him worth watching, even if the efficiency was all over the place early on.
The encouraging part for Minnesota is that Evans looked better as the week went on, which fits the idea that he could settle in more comfortably once he is playing in a more organized NBA environment. Summer league is often a messy proving ground, but Evans late improvement gave the Timberwolves a reminder that his game may translate better when the structure around him is cleaner and the talent around him is more reliable. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Looked Vulnerable Until Timberwolves Reality Set In
Oklahoma City spent the summer looking more like a team trimming around the edges than one resting on its laurels, moving Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe and Lu Dort in separate payroll-saving deals while still finding ways to keep the roster competitive. The Thunder also brought back Isaiah Hartenstein and Kenrich Williams, then added a pair of rookies in Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz, a reminder that even a club with championship ambitions is constantly balancing cost, continuity and the next wave of talent.
For Minnesota, the bigger-picture problem is less about what the Thunder lost than what the Wolves still have to solve. LaMelo Ball gives Anthony Edwards a new backcourt partner and raises the ceiling, but the frontcourt picture remains unsettled after the departures of Julius Randle and Naz Reid, leaving Rudy Gobert without a clear fit beside him. Until that gets sorted out, Oklahoma City remains the kind of Western Conference obstacle that can expose every soft spot in a contender's build. [Read more 🡒]