The Atlanta Hawks took a big step towards Eastern Conference contention this offseason by upgrading their roster in multiple areas. The additions of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kennard will turn the Hawks into a formidable team, especially in the weakened Eastern Conference. If the team can manage to stay healthy, this may be the most talented group Atlanta has ever surrounded Trae Young with.
This doesn't mean that the roster is without its weaknesses or that general manager Onsi Saleh hasn't made any mistakes. In fact, a decision made around one disappointing draft pick may come back to bite the Hawks.
Hawks Will Regret Not Trading Kobe Bufkin Before Summer League
Despite revamping the roster, the Atlanta Hawks made the decision to hold onto Kobe Bufkin, who is entering his third season in the NBA. After being a major disappointment in the first two seasons of his career, the former 15th-overall pick was hoping to establish himself as a rotation-caliber player with his Summer League performance.
Unfortunately for the former Michigan star, things didn't go according to plan. Bufkin was the leader of Atlanta's Summer League team, starting four games and playing over 25 minutes in each game. In these starts, he averaged 19.5 points and 4.2 assists per game on 35.5% from the field and 25.9% from three. He averaged 3.2 turnovers, including a nine-giveaway game against the Houston Rockets, and 4.8 fouls per game.
For a high draft pick entering his third season in the league, that is deeply disappointing. It also highlights that the Hawks may have made a mistake by not trading him earlier in the summer.
The idea for not doing so was perhaps to help Bufkin improve his stock and trade value, but the 21-year-old may have done the opposite. It will be hard for GM Saleh to find a team willing to give up positive trade value for Bufkin, which means that the Hawks will have to dig into their draft assets if they want to swing for a veteran contributor in a trade.