The Atlanta Hawks could not make a deal to better itself before the Thursday trade deadline, Hawks GM Pete Babcock told RealGM?s Jason Walker soon after the trade deadline.

?We were not able to put together a trade that improved our team in the areas we were trying to address,? said Babcock.

The Atlanta Hawks have long been rumored to be the major player in the trade deadline rumor mill, but according to Babcock, the rumors that have permeated the internet, radio, and TV were just that.

Most of the rumors centered around the Hawks attempting to dump salary, but Babcock says this was not the case.

?We were directed NOT to dump salary, but to make good basketball moves only,? claims Babcock, which would mean that rumored deals that would have sent Jason Terry and Theo Ratliff to LA and Shareef Abdur-Rahim to other cities were not likely considered.