Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Hawks 🏀 Atlanta is on the rise! – Windhorst | NBA Today

Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Hawks 🏀 Atlanta is on the rise! – Windhorst | NBA Today

let’s welcome back in our senior insider Sham Shirana shams what’s new
the Atlanta Hawks are continuing their busy last couple weeks i’m told they have reached agreement on a four-year 62 million dollar deal with free agent Nquille Alexander Walker i’m told the sides have reached an agreement here tonight the Atlanta Hawks as well as his representatives at CA Aaron Mintz Austin Brown Steven Hume and so this is a departure from Minnesota for Nil Alexander Walker we know two-way ability is able to shoot the ball defend at a high level even against his cousin Shay in the playoffs so he’s gone and the Atlanta Hawks over the last couple weeks have added Chris Stops Porzingis at center and now Nquil Alexander Walker in the back court and wings
shams thank you so very much for that insight it’s been a busy season here for the Atlanta Hawks brian you were nodding your head when you heard that deal come in
this is an impact signing a lot of people would believe Nquille Alexander Walker is maybe the best point guard available on the open free agent market i’ll wait for Bobby i think this is probably a sign and trade maneuver but if you look at what they’ve done here they’ve added they’ve added Chris Alporzing they are they did lose Caris Levert tonight caris Levert is going to move on to the Detroit Pistons uh Nquille Alexander Walker is a championship level guard can play multiple different positions he’s probably going to come off the bench for them which again depth depth depth this is a team that has a lot of young uh young athletes and I want to say in the Eastern Conference we often are focusing on the teams that are coming down because of injury boston Indiana Milwaukee what about the teams on the rise the Hawks saw an opportunity to take a step forward that’s what they are doing
it seems like a a perfect opportunity our new teammate Kaka Kaka the Atlanta Hawks are coming i think of Tyrese Hallebert and when I interviewed him in the NBA Finals he said that we don’t want to be the Atlanta Hawks from 2021 we wanted to remind people that we weren’t here as a mirage we were here for a reason atlanta clearly heard that because the we talk about taking an opportunity in the Eastern Conference atlanta’s offseason moves they seem to be doing just that
no doubt they’re they’re not idle and I do like these moves and you look at their approach seems to be continue to improve their defenses now you put a guy like Nquille Alexander Walker out there with the Dyson Daniels i mean you’re talking about two lock down corners on the floor at the same time you also had a Porzingis who could protect the rim health’s always going to be a factor with Chris Tapsing you’ve got Jaylen Johnson there who who’s going to be the future eventually so the Atlanta Hawks yes absolutely they’ve been very busy very active rounding out their team i I like that the moves that they have made i at the end of the day though it’s going to come down to the same question you and I were talking about earlier is Trey Young the guy that’s going to lead you to the promised land that’s what you have to buy into
and I love it too because you lost DeAndre Hunter so you bring in another guy who can guard perimeter who can do the dirty work on on the defensive end you bring in Porzingis you have the number one assist guy in the league lord knows he’s going to get him the ball and make sure he gets shots but is he the guy that’s going to lead your team you’ve had other guys coming you had the DJonte Murray you’ve brought in other guys to help Trey Young get to that to that level that we and that he thinks he can get to it hasn’t happened so you can put the pieces around but do you have the right ingredients i mean you you have the right ingredients but can you bake the cake and I think that’s what we’re looking at right now can Trey Young lead these guys great job in the offseason Atlanta but is your star is your leader is your guy prepared to take those guys to the next level
let’s take a deeper look at some of those ingredients chef Marks what do we see well listen we’re only 51 minutes in and this thing was already starting smoking we the light started flashing before here i was nervous we weren’t be able to use it here all right to kill Alexander Walker $14.1 million he’s going to Atlanta as Brian mentioned potential most likely signing trade so what does that mean in a signing trade they still have the non-ax mid-level exception $14.1 million to go out and free agent shop 168.9 luxury taxes 188 plenty of room $20 million why would Minnesota do this they create a small trade exception and they help Alexander Walker get to Atlanta here it’s been a terrific offseason for Atlanta remember take advantage of the Eastern Conference the Eastern Conference is wide open we’ll certainly keep an eye on Trey Young extension eligible four for 222
head Baker Marks thank you so very much mr spears it sounds like we need a grade here for the Atlanta Hawks because they have been busy they have certainly kept things interesting i like all of their moves how do you feel about them
i’m giving them an A uh
A for Atlanta
a for Atlanta and they’re challenging Houston i don’t know if they got Houston beat but I know one person that’s happy is Trey Young i talked to Trey at the beginning of the finals in Oklahoma City and he was you know he’s keeping an eye on things the same way you guys are talking about LeBron keeping an eye on things trey’s been keeping an eye on things he has a big extension that he can send this summer but I I talked to people close to him they say Trey is ecstatic he got Porzingis he got Nil uh he wants to keep adding some shooting he still has his young guys jaylen Johnson’s going to get healthy trey is excited about this team i’m I’m sure he’ll get this extension and now the Hawks are are are their contender they’re a contender in the East now
Mr spear’s given an A to the A here ud a
an A to the A when you’re looking at Atlanta though he says contender for them that’s certainly what these moves are indicating they are trying to make some noise in an Eastern Conference that all of a sudden is wide open do you think that Trey Young is the guy that can continue to do that we talked about his extension eligibility here
i think he’s capable i think the questions that we have about Trey Young has nothing to do with what he’s able to do on the basketball court it’s about accountability and leadership and that’s it because when you’re the best player on the basketball court and you’re the best player on your team you got to understand that everybody’s watching you everybody’s going to follow you and follow suit in what you do so just being there early making sure you stay late setting the tone for guys holding guys to a standard and holding yourself to a standard i think that’s where you look at it with Trey Young acting like a champion before you become a champion those are the only things that we have to worry about with Trey Young the way he produces on the basketball court leading the league in assists with the last couple years can put the ball in the hole at a high rate on the high clip can shoot it two steps across the the half court line we understand that about Trey Young has he matured and grown as a leader because now you have the pieces so there is no excuses you want that extension to much whom is given much is required trey Young
do you have a
No I got a town stump if you don’t get it I got a town stump if you don’t get it now you got your piece
oh my goodness

Shams Charania joins Malika Andrews on NBA Today’s Free Agency Special to discuss Nickeil Alexander-Walker agreeing to a four-year contract for $62 million with the Atlanta Hawks. Brian Windhorst, Tim Legler, Marc J. Spears, Udonis Haslem and Bobby Marks react to the deal and the moves Atlanta has moved so far in the offseason.

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