NBA Trade Rumors: Would Ramon Sessions Bolster Atlanta Hawks Title Hopes?

The Atlanta Hawks went into the All-Star break with two All-Stars and a 34-21 record, good enough for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Could Ramon Sessions be the man that boosts the Hawks into the Eastern elite?

The Hawks are rumored to be one of three teams interested in the current Cleveland Cavalier, the other two being the New York Knicks and the Portland Trailblazers. 

If the Hawks were to get Sessions from the Cavs, they would need to trade either Jeff Teague or Jordan Crawford, possibly paired with a second-round pick to tempt Cleveland into giving up one of its few good players. With the trade exemption that the Hawks received from the Phoenix Suns for Josh Childress' services, Atlanta could acquire Sessions, but the team would go into the luxury tax. 

However, if the owners of the Hawks believe that they can compete for a title with the new addition, Sessions would be deemed worthy of of going into the tax. 

So, would they be able to compete for that ever-elusive title?

Well, Ramon Sessions was somewhat of a revelation for the Cavaliers while Mo Williams was sidelined with an injury. In February, while Williams was dressed in fancy suit after fancy suit, Sessions exploded for an average of 19.6 points and 8.9 assists through the All-Star break. 

The Hawks could undoubtedly use that kind of production on their squad—after all, they aren't quite as good as their record indicates. 

Despite being just 3.5 games out of the No. 3 seed in the East, Atlanta is just 12th in point differential, 14th in offensive efficiency and 13th in defensive efficiency.

There is clearly room for improvement. 

Sessions is a very athletic player and he would help Atlanta's fast-break offense improve drastically if he was running down the court alongside Josh Smith and Al Horford. That trio would be absolutely lethal in the open court. 

Then there's the fact that Sessions is actually willing to play defense; the same cannot be said about either Mike Bibby or Jamal Crawford. The ability to come in and shut down an opposing player is invaluable. It would be especially appreciated by a team that has had to put up with Bibby's defensive struggles. 

Even so, Sessions is not exactly known as a defensive stopper. His ability on the less glamorous end of the court is shaky at best. While there would still be an improvement, it wouldn't be a huge one. 

In my opinion, the biggest difference would be the breath of fresh air that he would bring to the Atlanta fans. A new face would reinvigorate a crowd that has grown way too used to watching Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Marvin Williams, Mike Bibby and the rest of the Hawks.

It's been a while since there's been a new regular in the rotation. 

Now that we've covered the differences that Sessions would make, let's take a quick look at how far the Hawks are from being an elite team.

Their record is indeed close to those of the other great teams in the East, but no one really thinks that the Hawks can compete with the Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics or Miami Heat right now. 

Atlanta is just 3-4 against those top teams thus far in the season. The prevailing opinion is that the Hawks have no shot at making it past the second round of the playoffs. Winning a series would just be too much.

Sessions probably isn't going to change that. It's not like he's going to start for the team.

Instead, the guard would simply become a role player and a viable backup for Atlanta. He would help the Hawks close the gap between themselves and the rest of the East's top teams, but he wouldn't be able to close it completely. 

It may still be worth making a move though because Sessions is still only in his fourth season and hasn't made good on all of his potential yet.

There's a chance that his All-Star level of production during February is legitimate. That plus the boost in fans' psyches should be enough for the Hawks management to pull the trigger. 

It's just important for Hawks fans to temper their expectations if the trade does indeed go through.