It has been clear to me for a while now how this Hawks season will play out. Assuming they make the playoff field, the Hawks will draw the Celtics, Bucks, 76ers or Nets. That’s where the season ends. The first round is the ceiling.
The trades the Hawks made before Thursday’s NBA deadline didn’t change my outlook. The Hawks have a better bench after adding wing players Saddiq Bey and Garrison Mathews and center Bruno Fernando. The Hawks still aren’t good enough to knock off the East’s top teams unless they reach a sustained level of play that we’ve yet to see.
But the new players should help the Hawks finish at least sixth in the Eastern Conference and avoid the play-in tournament. The Hawks began Thursday three games behind the Heat for that slot. If they make the playoffs, the Hawks now have a better shot of upsetting Boston, Milwaukee or Philadelphia. And the Nets no longer are a worry after they traded superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
