Zaccharie Risacher could fit in well with the Atlanta Hawks squad. rear departure.
His size and defense would be a huge asset at the position and he appears to have the mobility to succeed. This important domino could open the door for the Hawks to explore a trade like the recent exploratory idea of All-Hawks’ Jackson Caudell.
In the deal, the Hawks are bringing in Trae Young’s friend and former AAU teammate Michael Porter Jr., as well as Peyton Watson and Hunter Tyson from the Denver Nuggets.
“Two of the The most interesting teams of this offseason “The two teams that made the difference were the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets. Atlanta knew they had to make roster changes after losing the NBA play-in tournament to the Chicago Bulls and they made roster changes,” Caudell wrote on Aug. 24.
“Denver, on the other hand, is a real NBA Finals contender, but it will look a little different. For the second straight season, Denver has lost a key part of its team.”
Most notably, the Hawks traded Dejounte Murray.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets let Kentavoius Caldwell-Pope leave in free agency. He signed with the Orlando Magic and Caudell indicated Denver would make a similar move with Bruce Brown in 2023 when he signed with the Indiana Pacers in free agency. That deal could help both teams.
Porter averaged 16.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 39.7 percent from beyond the arc for the Nuggets in 2023-24.
He also has a high salary cap hit with a $35.8 million hit in the third year of a five-year, $179.3 million contract. Porter has a $40.8 million hit in the final year of the contract, a particularly concerning number given his injury history that includes multiple back injuries.
Young noted how Porter’s “stiff” back is after the initial injury.
Watson, the final pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft, averaged 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
He’s a poor shooter, hitting 29.6 percent of his 1.9 three-point attempts in 2023-24. But the 6-foot-10 wing would help offset the loss of De’Andre Hunter, who has been the team’s best perimeter defender for several seasons now.
Hunter Tyson was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, posting a 1.1/0.5/0.1 line as a rookie.
Moving Hunter and the remaining three years and $69.9 million of his four-year, $90 million contract could appeal to the Hawks with all the potential help coming.
Losing Bogdan Bogdanovic could be a whole different story. He just finished another season a great performance on the international scene and is one of the most versatile players on the team, especially offensively.
The deal would also mean the Hawks would have to waive two players.
Note – B+: Pairing Young with Porter seems like a good idea, but adding another $1 million to the bottom line while trading away injury risk is a downside. Adding draft capital is a win, though.
