Dyson Daniels was inauspicious in the Atlanta Hawks’ loss to an Eastern Conference power; on the same day his superstar teammate was at the centre of a bombshell trade revelation.
The Australian guard failed to assert himself as the travelling Hawks fell to the Toronto Raptors 118-100 for the second time in three days.
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Daniels made just four of 13 shot attempts for 11 points, with six rebounds and three assists. He was a net -24 in his 38 minutes played.
Early in the first quarter, Daniels made one of his favourites shots — a running floater in the lane — to open his scoring account for the night, but to call it a torrid evening for the Aussie thereafter would be an understatement.
While he’d progressively upped his scoring in the first half of this season from 7.5 points per game in October to 15.5 early in January, Daniels was infrequently involved on offence as the Hawks quickly fell behind the East four-seed Raptors.
The defensive-minded guard had two personal fouls by early in the second quarter, and while he returned late in the half, he failed to have a significant impact on the contest.
In 17 first-half minutes, Daniels had just two points on 1-6 shooting with two rebounds and was a -22 in his time on the court.
The Bendigo native was barely sighted in the third quarter but made two shots from close range early in the final period to take his then-tally to seven points.
The vast majority of Daniels’ shots come from inside the three-point arc — described by Hawks broadcast analyst Brian Oliver as “a little reluctant to shoot the three” — having missed his past 15 three-point attempts.
With a tad over four minutes left in the game, Daniels spun impressively to lose his defender and score the layup to get the Hawks within eight points. It was his final make of the game.
In a rarity, the defensive menace did not record a steal. Daniels was the runaway NBA steals leader last season.
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The Hawks are now 2-9 in their past 11 games, and the result comes as Trae Young, who missed the game with a quad contusion, was engulfed in trade reports on Tuesday.
ESPN insiders Marc Stein and Shams Charania both detailed that Young’s management had been working with Atlanta on arranging a trade for the four-time All-Star.
In eight seasons as a Hawk, Young has helped lead the franchise to three playoff appearances, including a dream run to the East finals in 2021.
But amidst the emergence of 24-year-old forward Jalen Johnson and persistent defensive liabilities, Young has become expendable in the Peachtree State.
And while it was reported by Marc Stein that the Washington Wizards have emerged as a “legitimate destination” for the long-range shooter, senior reporter at The Athletic Sam Amick says the Sacramento Kings have “no interest in a Young deal”.
“That has been the Kings’ stance for quite some time now - even with rumblings about a Young-for-Zach LaVine swap - and I’m told it remains unchanged,” he wrote on X on Tuesday.
And while Stein and Charania’s reporting hints at an urgency around dealing Young, Amick writes there’s no guarantee a Young-Atlanta divorce is imminent.
“In the absence of clarity regarding legitimate trade suitors for Young, and with league sources indicating that his market was widely considered minimal, it remained entirely possible the Hawks will have to resolve his future in the summertime,” he wrote.