At the NBA trade deadline, I noted that the Hawks had found their sweet spot. They were losing enough games to be in line for good draft lottery odds, but not so many that it would create a sour atmosphere for their good young players. I didn’t think trades made by other teams would change that.
That’s still how it looks nearly a month later. With 18 games to play, the Hawks have the fifth-worst record in the NBA. After the weekend they were four games better than the Bulls and 2 ½ games behind the Grizzlies, and FiveThirtyEight.