The Hawks are wisely rebuilding because they can’t beat LeBron James

The Atlanta Hawks decided to trade sharpshooter Kyle Korver on Thursday, despite the fact they were riding a four-game winning streak, and sat in the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks traded Korver to the two-time defending East champion Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that has swept the Hawks out of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

The return package for Korver: a draft pick, Mike Dunleavy (older and less reliable than Korver), and a retiring Mo Williams. This is clearly a rebuild move. Korver was No. 4 on the Hawks in minutes per game, and the best asset coming back is a late first-round pick. It follows the Hawks’ most recent major trade, in which Atlanta shipped Jeff Teague to Indiana for a draft pick, allowing the younger — and more affordable — Dennis Schroder to take over the point guard position. (Tim Hardaway Jr. is likely to get most of Korver’s minutes, which is not terribly inspiring.)

There are rampant reports that the Hawks are shopping Paul Millsap, who like Korver will be a free agent in July. Millsap is by far the Hawks’ best player, and a top-20 player in the NBA. He is on the wrong side of 30, but doesn’t have a fear-inducing number on his odometer owing to a longish college career and four years coming off the bench in Utah. Millsap is approaching the end of his age-expected prime, and has a game that should age well.

The Hawks are the fourth-best team in the Eastern Conference. They have now won six straight games. And Atlanta still seems intent on tearing it all down. This is the most sober, bold demolition project in years.

Too often teams hang onto the rope too long, refusing to accept reality and plunge into the depths of despair (also know as “rebuilding”). They make desperate trades for veterans to pry open windows already locked. They ignore contextual evidence that suggests their dreams are unattainable.

The Brooklyn Nets that traded all their future picks for Joe Johnson, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce are the best example, but other teams have done the same. This type of thinking has just caught up with the Dallas Mavericks, who have consistently prized mid-tier veterans over young difference-makers. Now the Nets and Mavericks are in holes of their own making, rebuilding not on their own terms but depending on the smile of Lady Luck.

The Hawks would rather intend to determine the path for themselves. In a sense, that is easier to do in the current East, where LeBron James has led his team to the NBA Finals in each of the past six seasons. That LeBron’s Cavaliers have completely annihilated the best versions of the Hawks only make the wound sting more sharply, and the vision for what’s next so clear.

The Hawks couldn’t touch LeBron at their best and at his most vulnerable. Of course they can’t beat him now. So, why keep up the ruse?

That’s why their decision to fold while holding the No. 4 seed is so righteous. There is no shame in acknowledging current limitations and finding a new path. Atlanta cannot win the East as presently constructed. It’s smarter to disarm, stockpile assets for 2-3 years down the road, and re-approach the situation then, when LeBron is a bit older and other current superpowers (like Golden State) have perhaps faltered.

The Atlanta Hawks faithful has been patient for decades. Surely the fans can handle another couple of years. If the Hawks can land a major prospect or a high pick for Millsap, they should do it. What’s more interesting is how the team should approach Kent Bazemore (young, expensive, and definitely not a proper centerpiece), Schroder (young, expensive, and needs some serious work) and Dwight Howard (older, expensive, and likely undervalued).

If Millsap indeed follows Korver out of the door by the Feb. 23 trade deadline, we’ll know for sure which path the Hawks are taking. Their options are the long, patient road, or the expressway to nowhere.