The Atlanta Hawks might not be eager to break up what they have going. They have won six straight games and enter their early Sunday evening tilt against the Denver Nuggets as slight favorites.
That does not mean they would not move a player, though.
It would have to be at the right cost and that may not apply to anyone on the roster more than Larry Nance Jr.
"I know the Hawks really like Larry [Nance Jr.]. I don't think they're actively shopping him,” NBA insider Jake Fischer during on a live-streamed intel dump on Bleacher Report on December 6. “If they get some real value for him on the trade market, they would absolutely meet and probably move him."
Nance has not played in 10 straight games.
He entered the season with an uncertain role, by Hawks general manager Landry Fields’ admission, due to the Hawks being an unfinished product.
While that is a good thing as injuries are inevitable, and the Hawks have had to call on Nance on multiple occasions, it does bring his future into question as the February 5 trade deadline draws nearer.
Nance averaged 10.1 points and shot 73.7% from beyond the arc over his first seven games.
He has since cooled off, going 0-for-3 over the last two games entering play against the Nuggets on Sunday. But there were several teams in pursuit of Nance before the season.
“League sources say that the Atlanta big man drawing the most external interest is newly acquired Larry Nance Jr.,” The Stein Line’s Marc Stein wrote in July (subscription required). “Word is Nance, who came to the Hawks in the recent Dejounte Murray trade, is being chased by multiple teams in need of proven size.”
It stands to reason that interest will continue if his role remains inconsistent-to-non-existent.
Nance is in the final year of a two-year, $21.6 million contract, an appealing number in the current NBA luxury tax climate given all that he can do on the court. His age and contract situation suggest the Hawks should trade him as soon as possible.
His impact has also not exactly matched the narrative so far.
Nance currently has the third-worst on-off differential on the team, ahead of only seldom-used forwards David Roddy and Mouhamed Gueye, per Cleaning The Glass.
If the Hawks are still getting calls on Nance, it might be wise for them to move him while the vibes are high. They can beat the rush that may or may not happen before the trade deadline and avoid any teams becoming more discerning about who they surrender assets to acquire.
None of that means the Hawks should just give such a valuable player away.