Kevin Garnett Gets Roasted by Paul Pierce and Rachel Nichols for Claiming the Hawks Are a Sleeper Team in the East

All the Smoke Productions fielded an All-Star lineup for their trade deadline day show. It featured Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, DeMarcus Cousins, Stephen Jackson, and Matt Barnes, with Rachel Nichols hosting the live stream. The crew discussed several topics during the show, including picking a sleeper team that could make some noise in the Eastern Conference.

While discussing the topic, Garnett said,

“The Hawks knocked off some really good teams in the last three weeks. I’m not talking about the last 48 to 72 hours… I say the f**king Hawks.”

Garnett’s pick left the whole crew in shock. While the Hawks had embarked on a mini four-game win streak in the last week of January, where they beat the Toronto Raptors, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors, and the Phoenix Suns, they lost the three games before and after that run. They are 4-6 in their last ten games and currently sit tenth in the Eastern Conference standings. The crew ended up laughing at Garnett’s pick, which irked the Hall of Famer.

“Did y’all ask me something or did y’all want me to ask y’all something!” KG seemed quite flustered as everyone started laughing at his pick. Meanwhile, Rachel Nicholls pointed out that the Hawks have had some big numbers dropped on them recently. But Garnett was adamant about his opinion, “I said the f**king Hawks…The Hawks surprised me.”

The Hawks’ four-game win streak was impressive but it was an anomaly in their dismal season. They have the worst defense in the league, with their opponents averaging 124 points per game. They have given up 73 points to Luka Doncic, 60 to Stephen Curry, 45 to Mikal Bridges, 43 to Cade Cunningham, and 40 to Donovan Mitchell. They are also the worst shooting team in the league, banking only 46.6% of their shots.

The Hawks have two stars in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. However, the rest of the roster hasn’t been that exciting, and it is reflected in their 22-29 record. Garnett picking the Hawks as a sleeper team in the East was undoubtedly swayed by their four-game winning streak. Had he looked into their stats this season, he wouldn’t have considered them a potential threat to the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Hawks’ surprisingly quiet trade deadline day

The Hawks’ 22-29 record made them prime trade deadline day contenders to either make moves and get better or trade their stars and commit to rebuilding. They were reportedly interested in Cleveland Cavaliers‘ Isaac Okoro and Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso.

However, the Hawks’ best chance of landing a blue-chip prospect was by trading Dejounte Murray. The veteran guard was heavily linked to several moves away from Atlanta. The Los Angeles Lakers were heavily linked with Murray, and the two teams were reportedly engaged in trade talks. While the Lakers offered D’Angelo Russell as the main piece, the Hawks reportedly responded by demanding Austin Reaves. LA was also expected to add salary fillers and a first-round pick.

However, the trade talks fizzled out, and Murray stayed put. Surprisingly, that did not prompt the Hawks to spring into action. They did not engage in trade talks with any other team to improve their roster. Instead, they have retained their roster and will explore the buyout market for potential upgrades.

The Hawks have a massive offseason waiting in the wings. If they don’t make any moves to improve the roster, Trae Young could ask for a trade to a contender team. That would prompt Murray to demand an exit from Atlanta. Losing their two biggest stars would fetch them plenty of assets, but it would spark a rebuild that would send them barrelling down the Eastern Conference standings for years.