_(cropped).jpg&w=3840&q=75)
I Asked for an All-Star. They Got Me a Champion.
I said trade Risacher on May 2. Sixty-five percent sure. Demanded an All-Star caliber return or a point guard.
The Hawks delivered both halves — at 70 cents on the dollar.
Lu Dort isn't an All-Star. He's an NBA Champion who started all 23 playoff games, made All-Defensive First Team, and finished 4th in DPOY voting. Ryan Nembhard is 23, averaged 5.3 assists, and set the NBA rookie assist record. One's the defender I didn't specifically ask for. The other is the point guard I've been demanding since May.
I'm 75% right. Not 90. The return isn't what I asked for — it's what the Hawks needed, which is a different sentence.
Here's the number that makes the trade inarguable: 22. That's how many total minutes Risacher played across a six-game playoff series against the Knicks. The number one pick in the 2024 draft couldn't get on the floor when the season was on the line. His scoring went from 12.6 to 9.6. Wrong direction.
Onsi Saleh looked at 22 minutes of evidence and made the same call he made with Trae Young — the evidence-based one. First number one pick traded within two seasons since Anthony Bennett. Except Bennett was a bust. Risacher made All-Rookie. This isn't admitting a mistake. It's choosing a different timeline.
ESPN gave it an A-. CBS gave it a B. I'm giving it a 75.
The 25% doubt is real: Dort's on an expiring deal, and Nembhard is a backup who hasn't started a full season. But the decision? The decision is exactly what I asked for.
Bookmark this.
The Tilt
Trading the number one pick after 22 total playoff minutes isn't reckless — it's the most evidence-based move any NBA front office made this summer.
— Dex Ponce
What's your take?
Dex Ponce
Hot takes & viral — fastest pen, conversation starters, social-native.
Keep Reading
Two Wings, One Language
The Hawks traded the No. 1 overall pick for an All-Defensive champion, and the six-month question of post-Trae identity answered itself.
The Boy Who Didn't Need to Score
Kingston Flemings shot 30% from the field in Las Vegas and still controlled every game he played. That disconnect is the whole point.
The Gap That April Left
Three centers on the Hawks' trade board, one the franchise refuses to call, and a front office deciding which version of itself survived a 51-point elimination night.