The kickoff to NBA trade season was not kind to the Atlanta Hawks. Trade circulations started to swirl around the time of the Hawks pre-game warmups against the New Orleans Pelicans. The player involved in these trade talks was long-time Atlanta sharpshooter Kyle Korver. By the time tip-off rolled around, the Hawks had agreed to terms with the Cleveland Cavaliers to send Korver to the Cavs. After the game, Kyle Korver and the Atlanta Hawks locker room had to face the media and react to the trade.
Following from Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
It was emotional when the team was officially told following the game.
“It’s tough,” said Paul Millsap, who also played with Korver in Utah. Kyle was a big reason I am here. To see him not in the locker room, it’s tough for me personally.
“Kyle means so much to this team, to this organization, so much to our community. To see him go, it will be felt. His presence in the locker room, his presence in the community, it will be felt. It’s tough to see him go.”
“This business man,” Bazemore said. “It’s cutthroat and it doesn’t really care about personal relationships or the impact people have in your life.
“Kyle is one of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet, the most amazing teammate you’ll ever meet. Always positive. He’s just a professional the way he approaches the game. Just that aspect alone, I learned a lot from. How to take care of your body. Faith-based man. Loves his family. Checks all the boxes. He’s one of those people that you need around you on a daily basis to keep you on the straight and narrow. When I first proposed to my now fiancee, we had long talks about that and kids, treating them right, how to be a good husband and father. Those are the conversations that you can’t put on the stat sheet. He’s just an amazing person.”
It’s clear that Korver was well respected all throughout the Hawks locker room, and the news of his trade hit his teammates hard. Unfortunately, the Hawks may not be done making moves, and the trading of Korver may have been the first domino to fall. Shortly after the Korver trade, Paul Milsap was the name being thrown around as some teams contacted the Hawks about the All-star big man. Only time will tell if the Hawks go into full fire sale mode, but it’s safe to say everyone should be keeping an eye on Atlanta moving forward.
