Hawks GM Sund doesn't expect trade deadline deals

By Michael Cunningham

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hawks general manager Rick Sund said he expects the team's core group to remain intact after the Feb. 18 trade deadline.

“People are talking about us as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and that’s what we strive for,” Sund said Monday. “If there is something out there that will make us better, we’ll look at it. Do I anticipate [a trade]? No, I don’t.”

Sund wouldn’t discuss specifics about trade chatter, but keeping the core together would rule out any trade involving Joe Johnson, who can become a free agent after the season. The other core players (in descending order of 2009-10 salary) include Josh Smith, Jamal Crawford, Marvin Williams, Mike Bibby and Al Horford.

The Hawks opened the week with a 32-17 record, tied with Boston for third-best in the Eastern Conference and one game behind Orlando for the Southeast Division lead.

“This is the time of year when everybody looks at deals,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. “But I like our team in terms of being in the hunt. We are a better team than last year.”

A recent Yahoo! Sports report speculated the Hawks might consider fielding offers for Johnson at the deadline. But there is no indication that teams have inquired about Johnson or that the Hawks would listen if they did.

Johnson approached the Hawks about an extension last summer. That suggests his preference is to stay with the team, even though he turned down its $60-million extension in hopes of securing a more lucrative deal this summer.

The Hawks say they still intend to re-sign Johnson. The team structured recent deals for Williams, Bibby and Zaza Pachulia with 2010-11 salaries that are less than this year so they would have increased flexibility for a new contract with Johnson.

There isn’t much trade value among Hawks players with expiring contracts: Joe Smith, Jason Collins, Randolph Morris and Mario West (who still is under a trade restriction because he was recently signed).

Williams, Bibby and Pachulia don’t have appealing contracts to offer in trade. That leaves Mo Evans, who has a player option for $2.5 million next season, and Jeff Teague, who is on a rookie-scale contract.

So the team doesn’t appear to have any attractive trade pieces they are willing to part with.

“Players start looking over their shoulders at this time of year,” Woodson said. “But our group should feel pretty good about what we’ve done up to this point.”

The Hawks also plan to continue with the minimum 13 players on the roster for the rest of the season. That would rule out adding veterans who accept buyouts in the coming weeks.

Pachulia out, Johnson travels

Johnson (flu symptoms) missed practice Monday but traveled with the team for its game Tuesday night at Memphis. Pachulia (hip) didn’t make the trip and also could miss the Wednesday's home game against the Heat. Due to the All-Star break, the Hawks don’t play after that until Feb. 17 at the Clippers.

“I think we are going to go ahead and rest [Pachulia] until after the All-Star game unless he tells me on Wednesday he feels good enough to play,” Woodson said. . . .

The league announced that the Hawks-Wizards game that was postponed due to weather on Saturday has been rescheduled for March 11 at 7 p.m. in Washington.