Atlanta, GA
New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Dorian Finney-Smith to Atlanta, Warriors Land Cam Johnson
The Atlanta Hawks just pulled off one of their best and most complete wins of the year. They took down the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals with a convincing 108-100 win largely fueled by their defense and interior scoring. Their perimeter defense played a major role in slowing down Jalen Brunson (14 points on 5-15 shooting) and keeping Karl-Anthony Towns quiet from three-point range (2-6 from deep). Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are currently 14th in the NBA in opponent points per possession and 6th in turnover percentage forced.
While this upwards trajectory is good to see, Atlanta should think about building upon it even more. There are multiple pieces available for trade that could upgrade the Hawks’ defense without cripping their limited pool of assets. Although a player like Herb Jones may prove to be too expensive for Atlanta to acquire, could the Hawks turn to the Brooklyn Nets for a solution?
The Nets have three obvious trade candidates on their roster in Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith (DFS) and Dennis Schroder. While the Hawks may not be able to land Johnson due to his excellent two-way abilities (18.8 points on a true shooting percentage of 65.9 to go with standout defense), Finney-Smith might be a more realistic acquistion for Atlanta. That isn’t to say Johnson cannot be moved in the same deal. A three-team deal where the Nets send Johnson to a team desperately in need of his services could also result in the Hawks adding DFS to their rotation.
One logical destination for Johnson is the Warriors. While he fits on practically any team, the Warriors are sorely in need of more offensive creation and two-way ability around Steph Curry. They are 14th in three-point shooting and currently struggle to generate offense when Curry is not carrying the load. Those issues became particularly evident down the stretch of their recent loss in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals to the Houston Rockets. Their 91-90 loss was marked by a turnover-filled stretch in the fourth quarter that essentially eliminated all hopes of a comeback.
How would a three-team deal between these teams look?
It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks should do or will do. That is all.
Here is what a possible framework could look like:
Atlanta Hawks get: Dorian Finney-Smith
Brooklyn Nets get: Larry Nance Jr, Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson, Jonathan Kuminga, 2025 1st round pick (via GSW), 2025 1st round pick (via Sacramento, from Atlanta, top-12 protected) and 2027 1st round pick (via GSW, top-5 protected)
Golden State Warriors get: Cameron Johnson, David Roddy
Why the Hawks would do this trade: DFS’s abilities as a 3&D wing who can provide spacing would fit very well into Atlanta’s rotation. He is shooting 43.2% on 5.5 attempts from deep and has the size/agility to guard wings on the perimeter. While he has slowed down on defense, he can still contribute to the Hawks’ solid defensive infrastructure. He would also be a good fill-in for a Jalen Johnson injury and the 2025 1st round pick from Sacramento likely won’t convey to Atlanta.
Why the Hawks would not do this trade: DFS’s health has to be questioned. He’s relatively durable, but he still missed 14 games last season. At 31 years of age, it’d be reasonable to expect 14-20 missed games for this year as well. Furthermore, his percentage from deep should regress to somewhere closer to the 35.8% he has for his career. That regression could severely compromise his effectiveness in Atlanta. His skillset is also somewhat redundant with DeAndre Hunter, but I would argue that you can never have enough skilled wings in the modern NBA.
Why the Nets would do this trade: Three first-round picks and Jonathan Kuminga for Johnson and Finney-Smith is a pretty good return for two players that are not part of Brooklyn’s long-term future. This deal would also put them in prime position to snag practically any 2025 NBA Draft prospect they are interested in. Considering the depth of the class, this move could accelerate Brooklyn’s rebuild significantly. They also get a veteran presence to build up their culture and improve the overall cohesion of their lineups in Larry Nance Jr. Nance’s ability as a shooter also gives the Nets a different look at center when Nic Claxton is on the bench.
Why the Nets would not do this trade: The Sacramento pick likely will not convey to Brooklyn, so the return for Brooklyn is more realistically two first-round picks and some second rounders. Nance likely will not be part of the roster’s long-term future and it’s possible that a more desparate team would give them more pick equity for Finney-Smith.
Why the Warriors would do this trade: Johnson is a volume shooter who can make quick decisions with the ball and holds up on defense. In short, he’s a perfect fit for the Warriors system and he would improve their spacing significantly. He has showed growth as a primary offensive option for Brooklyn, so there should be limited concern about how he would handle a big offensive role for the Warriors. Roddy has not made a huge impact in his time with Atlanta, but his size (6’4, 256 lbs) make him an intriguing option at power forward if the Warriors can improve his shooting.
Why the Warriors would not do this trade: Golden State might be concerned over giving up significant draft capital to add a player who is below All-Star level. While Johnson is an excellent fit for their system, he is 28 and likely cannot elevate his game beyond elite role player status. The Warriors might want to spend those picks on a player who can deliver a more significant impact as a scorer.
The funeral service for former Atlanta Braves outfielder Albert Hall is scheduled for 11 a.m. CST Monday at New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Birmingham.
Hall died on Tuesday at age 67.
On Sept. 23, 1987, Hall became the first player to hit for the cycle in an Atlanta Braves uniform and the first for the franchise since Bill Collins did so for the Boston Braves on Oct. 6, 1910. Twenty-one years after Hall’s feat, Mark Kotsay became the second Atlanta player to hit for the cycle on Aug. 14, 2008.
In Atlanta’s 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros, Hall led off the bottom of the first with a single and the bottom of the fifth with a double off Jim Deshaies. In the sixth, Hall hit a solo home run off Deshaies to tie the score at 4-4. Hall started the bottom of the ninth with a triple off reliever Dave Smith and ended the game by scoring on a wild pitch.
A speedy outfielder who stole 455 bases in the minor leagues, Hall went from Jones Valley High School in Birmingham to professional baseball when Atlanta selected him in the sixth round of the 1977 draft.
After hitting .308 and stealing 60 bases for the Southern League’s Savannah Braves in 1981, Hall made his MLB debut on Sept. 12, 1981, as a pinch-runner for catcher Bruce Benedict in the 10th inning of Atlanta’s 5-4 victory over the San Diego Padres.
From 1981 through 1988, Hall played in 375 games for the Braves before completing his MLB career with 20 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1989.
Hall posted a career batting average of .251 with a .328 on-base average and .335 slugging percentage. He had 125 runs, 202 hits, 37 doubles, eight triples, five home runs, 53 RBIs and 67 stolen bases in the big leagues.
Hall’s best season game in 1987, when he hit .284 and stole 33 bases in 92 games for Atlanta.
Hall appeared in minor-league games each season from 1977 through 1989, except in 1984 and 1987, when he spent the campaigns completely with Atlanta.
In 946 minor-league games, Hall hit .282 with a .376 on-base average and .372 slugging percentage. In 1980, Hall stole 100 bases for the Carolina League’s Durham Bulls.
After Monday’s service, burial will be at Elmwood Cemetery and Mausoleum in Birmingham.
A college football player from Georgia was found dead in a house fire in suburban Atlanta, authorities confirmed earlier this week.
Izaiah Taylor, an offensive lineman for Georgia Military College, was staying at his grandfather’s house in Stone Mountain when the home erupted into flames around 1 p.m. EST on Monday, per WAGA-TV.
Taylor’s grandfather, Gregory Edwards, said that he was not at the home when he was notified about the blaze.
“Well, I got a call from my neighbor. Said there was smoke coming out of the home, and I immediately left work and headed to the house,” Edwards said.
According to WXIA-TV, flames had already engulfed the residence by the time first responders arrived, and Taylor, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“There was no hesitation in going in and searching for the victim,” DeKalb County Fire Captain Jaeson Daniels said. “We got here, and we were able to establish a water supply. And again, receiving that information from one of the nearby residents stating that there was some water inside, we actually went right in and performed a search and luckily found him pretty quick, but unfortunately he was deceased. Once we found him.”
Taylor transferred to the junior college, located in Milledgeville, ahead of this past season after playing for Liberty University in 2024.
“Georgia Military College is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our students, Izaiah Taylor,” the college said in a statement on Tuesday. “Our hearts are with Izaiah’s family, friends, classmates, and all those who knew and loved him.”
Investigators are still determining the cause of the fire, WRDW-TV reported.
Edwards got emotional when talking about his grandson, calling him “a gentle giant.”
“He was one of the kindest people you would have ever known. He wasn’t a bully,” Edwards said. “He was a good boy. He didn’t deserve this.”
“What can I say? I mean, that’s not an easy pill to swallow. You know, you don’t bury your grandchildren,” he added.
ATLANTA, GA — Metro Atlanta residents may have a merry time celebrating Christmas this year as a new survey has named the Georgia town the best place to observe the jolly holiday across the U.S.
WalletHub awarded Atlanta with the moniker in a ranking released Tuesday after analysts examined 100 cities to determine the best places to celebrate Christmas.
With an overall score of 63.36, Atlanta beat out major national cities, including Las Vegas and New York City.
At No. 1, here’s how Atlanta’s ranking broke down:
- Traditions and Fun: 8
- Observance: 30
- Generosity: 16
- Shopping: 6
- Costs: 39
No other Georgia cities made the U.S. ranking.
“Atlanta is the best city for Christmas celebrations this year, with plenty of stores to help you prepare for the holiday, including an extremely high number of bakeries, holiday decoration shops and card shops per capita,” WalletHub experts said.
“Atlanta is also one of the best cities when it comes to the prevalence of affordable restaurants rated at least 4.5 stars if you want to eat out for the holiday (or want a break from cooking afterward). It has the 10th-most Christmas tree farms per capita, too. In addition, Atlanta residents get very excited about Christmas, searching Google for terms relating to the holiday more frequently than people in most other cities. The giving spirit can also be felt by Atlanta residents and visitors alike, as the city has the ninth-highest percentage of people who donate clothing to charity, along with the 13th-most online donations per capita.”
There are a plethora of options in Atlanta to celebrate Christmas, which is observed annually on Dec. 25.
Patch has compiled a few you may want to add to your calendar:
Here are the top 10 best Christmas towns, per WalletHub:
- Atlanta, Georgia
- San Francisco, California
- Seattle, Washington
- Orlando, Florida
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Miami, Florida
- Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Cincinnati, Ohio
,>
See WalletHub’s full methodology.
Sacrificing Convenience for Safety Is the Right Thing to Do
Three West Seattle schools’ teams advance in FIRST Lego League competition
San Diego’s cost-of-living committee led big policy fights in 2025. The City Council is ending it.
Behind Milwaukee’s recent restaurant closures
Former Alabama prep star, Atlanta Braves outfielder dead at age 67
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Sen Murphy warns ‘people are going to die’ as Congress punts on expiring Obamacare subsidies
Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan, wife sentenced to 17 years in corruption case
U.S. launches strikes in Syria targeting Islamic State fighters after American deaths
Trump administration touts ‘most secure border in history’ as 2.5 million migrants exit US
How the reparations loan for Ukraine fell apart at the eleventh hour
-
Iowa6 days agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Iowa1 week agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Maine4 days agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland6 days agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
Technology1 week agoThe Game Awards are losing their luster
-
South Dakota6 days agoNature: Snow in South Dakota
-
New Mexico4 days agoFamily clarifies why they believe missing New Mexico man is dead
-
Nebraska1 week agoNebraska lands commitment from DL Jayden Travers adding to early Top 5 recruiting class