NBA Insiders Give New Update to Larry Nance Trade Rumors

The trade deadline is still two months away, but that does not mean there are not going to be rumors leading up to the deadline. One of the most popular names leading up to the February deadline is going to be Hawks center Larry Nance Jr. Nance was acquired over the summer in the trade that sent Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans and he has been a very serviceable player for the Hawks. The problem has been that the Hawks already have two centers, Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu, and Nance does not play much for the Hawks. Not only that, but he is on an expiring contract. Combine those things and you have a player that other teams are going to be interested in. Recently, NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer gave an update to the Nance rumors and it does not sound like the Hawks are in a rush to move him.

Here is what Stein had to say:

"Hawks "continue to rebuff all trade interest in versatile veteran forward Larry Nance Jr. ... just as they did throughout the offseason after Nance arrived in Atlanta alongside defensive ace Dyson Daniels in the Dejounte Murray trade" from the New Orleans Pelicans."

And here is what Fischer had to say:

"I know the Hawks really like Larry [Nance Jr.]. I don't think they're actively shopping him," Fischer said during a live stream on Bleacher Report on Dec. 6. "If they get some real value for him on the trade market, they would absolutely meet and probably move him."

While it would make sense for the Hawks to move Nance, they also should not be in a rush to do so because he does actually provide value to the team. For example, the Hawks were missing Jalen Johnson last night in the loss to the Nuggets and while Quin Snyder has been reluctant to play Nance at the four, he did that last night in an effort to keep De'Andre Hunter coming off the bench. Nance played 24 minutes and scored 16 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. He does not play every night, but when he does, he tends to make an impact.

There are going to be rumors surrounding Atlanta's centers probably all the way up to the deadline. Not only is Nance being mentioned as a potential trade candidate, but so has Clint Capela, who is also on an expiring contract. Capela has been a solid player this season, but again, the Hawks have a logjam at center and could get some value for these guys on the market.

So what should the Hawks's plans be at the deadline? Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus shared his thoughts recently about that topic:

Goal: Opportunistic improvement

Name(s) to watch: Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, Larry Nance Jr., De'Andre Hunter

"The Hawks are better than they were a year ago but aren't yet an upper-tier contender in the Eastern Conference. Capela and Nance are on expiring contracts. Do the Hawks view Okongwu, who plays 23.7 minutes off the bench, as a replacement starter for Capela (who averages 22.8)? Should the team cash out on Hunter's strong play or hope he can stay healthy to help the team win?

The answers aren't clear yet, but Atlanta doesn't have its first-round pick in 2025 (going to the San Antonio Spurs), so any form of "tanking" is out."

I think that the best course of action for the Hawks right now is to keep the team until it gets closer to the deadline, barring some incredible deal that is presented to you. This team is legitimately playing very well right now and while they are not NBA Finals Contenders, they could get into the top six of the East.

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