Michael Cunningham: Hawks are pretty good now. Here's how they can get better with trades.

ATLANTA — The Dejounte Murray trade once appeared to be a huge loss for the Hawks. Credit general manager Landry Fields for narrowing the margin by shipping Murray to the Pelicans last summer. That deal ultimately could end up being a win for the Hawks. They are pretty good now, and Fields has the means to make them better before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

When healthy, the Hawks (21-19) are good enough to make the playoffs and give a higher-seed opponent some trouble. That would be a good outcome for a team with three starters who are 23 or younger. The Hawks didn’t do any better in the past two seasons with teams that had less room for growth than this one.

Now, Fields will have to find the right trades to make the Hawks a serious threat to make deep playoff runs. The second Murray deal is a blueprint for how he should build the roster. We have proof of how a team with Trae Young as the star should be constructed.

It’s more important for Young to be surrounded by big perimeter players who are strong defenders rather than guards who can pass and score. One player acquired as part of the Murray trade, Dyson Daniels, is an great wing defender, but isn’t a good shooter. The Hawks won’t be an elite defensive team without more beef in the frontcourt. Another player acquired in the Murray deal, forward Larry Nance, helped before he suffered an injury, but he’s more of an offensive threat than defensive deterrent.

So, Fields should be looking to trade for perimeter players with size who can shoot and big men who are strong rim protectors and rebounders. Fields has plenty of trade assets and financial flexibility to get deals done.

Lots of teams are looking to shed future payroll because of the more restrictive rules that were part of the labor agreement reached last year. The best way to do that is to trade for highly paid players with contracts set to expire at the end of this season. The Hawks have two of those, Nance and Clint Capela. There should be a market for them, especially since they are rotation-quality big men who can help contending teams now.

Fields can trade for players who are good fits without worrying about adding to future payroll. Per Spotrac, the Hawks are committed to salaries in 2025-26 that add up to roughly $24 million below the tax threshold. They won’t need to extend Young’s contract until the summer of 2026 (that’s assuming he declines his $49 million option for 2026-27). The Hawks can re-sign Young, retain Daniels and exercise the contract option on No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher while staying under the tax line for 2026-27.

There are clear paths for Fields to follow to make the Hawks better. In the meantime, they are pretty good right now.

The Hawks stood eighth in the Eastern Conference before Thursday’s games. They likely would be higher if not for regulars missing a total of 55 games with injuries. The injured list has included Bogdanovic (17 games), De’Andre Hunter (11), Nance (seven), Jalen Johnson (seven), Okongwu (seven) and Young (two).

The Hawks need Johnson back for their playoff push. He’s missed the past five games and six of seven with a shoulder injury. Johnson’s increased role on offense is one reason the Hawks have improved without Murray. He took over from Murray as the team’s secondary playmaker and has excelled in that role. Johnson has become the kind of two-way “point forward” that teams covet. He’s big (6-8 with 6-11 wingspan), scores efficiently (19.8 points per game), rebounds (10.1) and defends.

Daniels has made a big difference for the Hawks, too. His defensive contributions are one reason the Hawks are on track to finish with their best defensive efficiency since they made the conference finals in 2021. The Hawks could end up being the best defensive team of Young’s seven-year tenure if key players stay healthy.

The Hawks would be even better at that end with a stout center protecting the rim and cleaning up misses. Per Cleaning the Glass, only four teams have allowed opponents to shoot a higher percentage at the rim (garbage time excluded). The Hawks rank 21st in opponent points scored per putback attempt. They need help in the paint.

The good thing for the Hawks is that they can add a big man with limited offensive skills, and Young will elevate their game. There isn’t a player in the league who creates better shots for teammates. Add a defensive big man with the hands and athletic ability to catch Young’s lobs on pick and rolls, and the offense won’t skip a beat.

Fields and his colleagues have done well to reset the roster. The Hawks didn’t get back the full value from the trade that brought Murray to Atlanta from the Spurs in summer 2022. They were wrong about the Murray-Young pairing working out (I was wrong about that, too). The Hawks traded three first-round picks to the Spurs for Murray (though one of them didn’t convey) and got two first-round picks back along with Daniels and Nance.

But Fields made the right choice to kept the better guard, Young, while adding players that made the team better now and draft picks that can be used to fortify the roster later. The Spurs own the Hawks’ first-round pick this year, but the Hawks are getting a first-round pick from the Lakers. It will be in the lottery if Los Angeles (21-17) doesn’t make the playoffs. The Hawks also will get Sacramento’s first-round pick if it’s not among the top 12.

Fields took the right first steps to reshape the roster by trading Murray. He can continue that process by making the right moves before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. A rugged big man and a defensive-minded perimeter player who can shoot should be at the top of his list.