Hawks Should Have No Regrets About Trading Zaccharie Risacher

The Atlanta Hawks surprised fans by trading recent No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks this summer, but they have no reason to regret the decision.

It's a conversation that's re-emerging. Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh recently praised Risacher.

He said that "(he) did everything right for us. He was really good for us, and we wish him the best. He’s an unbelievable human being."

Saleh went on to effectively say that they traded Risacher because Luguentz Dort was a win-now upgrade. That's defensible, but if Risacher had been meeting expectations, he'd have yielded a larger return than an elite role player.

But he wasn't, so he didn't, and that's why the Hawks should not regret their decision.

Let's be clear: Risacher is en route to a fine NBA career.

It's unfair to judge him strictly on the standards of a former No. 1 pick. The 2024 draft was infamously weak. It was widely understood that Risacher was not a conventional No. 1 pick. The Hawks selected him because he looked like a safe bet as a 3-and-D wing who might pan out as a shot creator as well.

So far, so good — on the former front.

Risacher is hitting 36.0% of his 4.2 threes per game over two seasons. The Mavericks will hope that he can moderately improve his accuracy and significantly increase his volume, but he's been fine on that measure so far, given how solid his defense has been.

That last part is critical. The number of legitimate 3-and-D players in the NBA is smaller than some fans perceive. If Risacher maintains his current level of play, he's an asset.

But he's far from untouchable.

The pertinent question here is whether Risacher has shown any potential as a shot creator. The reality is that those developments have been minimal at best. Nobody should rule any developments out for a 21-year-old, but the safer money is on Risacher functioning as a role player long-term.

And that's why it was fine to move him.

After all, they flipped him for a comparable-but-better role player.

If Risacher is lucky, one day he'll be as good as Luguentz Dort. It's unlikely that he'll ever defend at that level, and they're roughly comparable shooters.

The Hawks are in win-now mode. They have young players with much higher potential than Risacher who have already shown more upside, led by Jalen Johnson.

So why not get role players who complement them now?

Atlanta has already made clear that it values two-way pieces around Johnson and its current core. Saleh has explained why the Hawks were willing to move Risacher for Dort, and the logic makes sense for a team trying to win immediately.

The Hawks should wish Risacher the best, but Dort was the right decision. His outstanding point-of-attack defense will only bolster the Hawks' overall stopping power. Acquiring him at the cost of Risacher was smart.

Even if it came as a surprise to some.