Hawk Boomer
Dyson Daniels is traded to Atlanta
First off, let me start with a sincere apology for trying to force a “HAWK TUAH” reference into the title of this newsletter. I should know better, I will be better, let’s move forward together.
Anyway, when the news was broken the other day that Dejounte Murray was being traded to the Pelicans, my immediate thought was Dyson Daniels heading the other way. By trading for Murray, the Pelicans signalled an intention to win now, by pairing Murray with CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson, as well as Brandon Ingram, if he hangs around.
By moving into this next phase of contention, the Pelicans had no real need to carry a developmental prospect like Daniels anymore. By following the model set by other Western Conference teams that arose into contention off the back of young and exciting cores supplemented by a big trade (see: Minnesota and Dallas), New Orleans had to make some decisions.
Dyson, being raw and developmental enough, was deemed the most expendable of the Pelicans assortment of wing talent, as his skillset is more theoretical at this stage of his career, compared to Trey Murphy or Herb Jones.
In his two years in New Orleans, Daniels has fluctuated from an important role player, to not seeing playing time at all, a symptom of New Orleans’ depth as coach Willie Green fluctuated his lineups, especially at the stacked wing position, with Daniels, as well as the aforementioned Murphy and Jones, plus Naji Marshall and even Jordan Hawkins all behind Brandon Ingram.
Daniels averaged 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in just over 22 minutes per game for the Pelicans this past season, starting 16 of the 61 games he appeared in. Mixing in 1.4 steals per game, his immediate NBA contributions are largely on the defensive end, with his long frame and size at 6’8” allowing him to guard most guards and wings, with the Pelicans often subbing him in for defensive possessions late in games.
Where Daniels will need to improve is as a shooter, as a 31% career mark from three is hardly terrible, but still on the lower end of passable, especially for someone who projects to play predominantly off the ball in Atlanta next to Trae Young.
In New Orleans, Daniels played what I’d term a defacto point guard role at times, largely tasked with bringing the ball up the floor and running occasional pick and rolls, but largely spending offensive possessions spaced on the weakside waiting a kick out.
I do think there’s more refinement to Daniels’ offensive game than we saw in New Orleans, the Pelicans lack of a true point guard really diluting ball handling duties throughout the roster. Daniels works pretty well in the intermediate range with floaters and runners, and can penetrate and kick at a somewhat repeatable level, but his shooting concerns will limit his effectiveness on offense if not rectified.
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It’s a smart gamble from Atlanta to bet on another wing with upside, as the NBA trends towards being a wing-dominant league. The title winning Celtics were led by their twin dragon of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, while Minnesota charged all the way to the Conference Finals off the back of Anthony Edwards supported by Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Daniels joins an interesting wing rotation in Atlanta with 2023-24 breakout star Jalen Johnson and number one overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, as well as steady veterans in DeAndre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
I’m not sure what direction Atlanta is heading in at the moment, given trading away Dejounte Murray for Daniels and Larry Nance is obviously a talent deficit, with San Antonio being owed Atlanta’s 2025 first round pick as part of the original Dejounte Murray trade.
Daniels should settle into the rotation immediately, likely in a similar slot as he was in New Orleans but with more consistent playing time. There’s a chance Atlanta deals some of the older wings in Hunter and Bogdanovic to try and recoup some draft capital and allow Johnson, Risacher and Daniels more room to grow.
He’ll help shore up Atlanta’s point of attack defence, which was disappointingly lacklustre given Dejounte Murray’s reputation as an All-Defense calibre guard, and I’m hopeful another summer in the Boomers program playing at the Olympics will springboard him into a productive offensive season for the Hawks.
Daniels doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel offensively. If he can get his distance shooting up around 35-36%, he’ll turn into a very valuable three and D piece at a base level, with enough on ball promise to provide in other areas.
He obviously won’t be on ball for anything more than the odd possession in Atlanta, but Daniels flashed some potential as a secondary playmaker in New Orleans, and it’s that wrinkle that could prove to be his point of difference from the dime a dozen wing defenders that occupy today’s NBA, if it develops.
However it shakes out, and whatever you think of the price they recouped after selling for Dejounte Murray two seasons ago, there are worse gambles to take than on a guy like Dyson Daniels.
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