Hawks Were Right to Stay Out of Jalen Duren Trade Market

The Atlanta Hawks were regularly linked to trade targets over the offseason, but if they were going to spend assets, it needed to be on the right player.

This wasn't the first time Duren had been linked to the Hawks. As the situation between him and the Detroit Pistons became more uncertain, the rumors grew louder and Duren's name surfaced around several teams.

Atlanta was right to stay out of it.

It's nothing personal against Duren.

It wasn't about the pay he was seeking. It wasn't about his relationship with Detroit, either. These things happen. This was a simple basketball concern:

Duren does not shoot threes.

Onyeka Okongwu does. If the Hawks plan on continuing to start defensive wing Dyson Daniels, that's instrumental to their success. Okongwu even maximizes superstar forward Jalen Johnson, who also counts 3-point shooting as his biggest weakness.

Moreover, Okongwu is a better defender. Duren has made strides in that area throughout his career, but Okongwu's switchability gives him a significant edge on that end of the floor.

Duren is the better interior finisher. Some may argue that his scoring around the rim and vertical spacing would have opened up pick-and-roll opportunities for Johnson, and maybe even Daniels. There's merit there, but it wasn't as valuable as Okongwu's shooting to a Hawks team that relies on him to maintain its 3-point volume.

All of which could be said before even considering Duren's next payday.

Duren was seeking a massive payday.

That was understandable considering he is 22 and is coming off an All-NBA Third Team appearance. That tends to be the type of résumé that commands a major contract extension.

The problem for Atlanta was fit.

Even after his breakout, Duren remained a complete non-shooter. He hadn't attempted a three in two straight seasons. It was more realistic to expect growth as a ball-handler or mid-range scorer than for him to suddenly become a true floor-spacing center.

Why would the Hawks have forced it right now?

They already had one of the brightest young cores in the NBA and strong financial flexibility. In time, they may want to spend aggressively on another star. However, the idea of adding a non-shooting big man was always a tough sell for a team that already had spacing concerns.

It worked out in the end for Duren with a new deal to stay in Detroit. Meanwhile, Atlanta was right not to make him its problem.