Image from Jaylen Browns IG
Currently, the Atlanta Hawks hold the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference at 11-10 overall. The start to the 2021-22 season, has been essentially .500-ball, with the highlights being a six-game losing streak, immediately followed up by a seven-game winning streak. This is basically the same roster that got Atlanta to within two games of the NBA finals last season.
The Hawks are sitting pretty with a budding-young roster and a superstar player in Trae Young. The Eastern Conference is still very much up for grabs, with only 3.5 games separating the eighth-seeded Hawks and the top-seeded Brooklyn Nets. Atlanta does have a unique position when it comes to the trade market. They have a treasure trove of young players and pretty much own all their draft picks. Any player that is to come to market, the Hawks can ease themselves into the mix.
Now, I preface this entire article with my own opinion: THE HAWKS DO NOT NEED TO MAKE ANY MOVES THIS SEASON. I think they are poised to win with this roster now, and win for many years to come, except for a few moving parts and pieces. Nevertheless, a team that is in win-now mode, but also planning for their future, means that there will be some hard decisions coming up. Whether that is to consolidate our assets for a game-changing player or hunker down for the long-haul. The trades below are completely hypothetical, and the players are names I have heard float around on our TwitterSpaces show, The Highlight Factory. Leave your comments below on if you like any of these hypotheticals, or agree with me, to stand pat, and see where this team can go as currently constructed! PS: I am leaving out draft picks to keep the trades from getting messy, but plug-and-play, if you believe we would need more to acquire any of the players below.
Trade Idea #1
Hawks Receive: G-Jaylen Brown
Celtics Receive: F-Danilo Gallinari, F-Cam Reddish, & G-Kevin Huerter
Personally, this is one of the only trades that I heard and made me think long and hard. Personally, I would still end up declining, but there is no denying that Jaylen Brown would be a perfect fit on this team. He plays extremely well on the offensive & defensive side of the ball, and is also a young-talent that could be a cornerstone in Atlanta for years to come. It would be hard to cut ties with the players going to Boston, but you must give up assets in this league to acquire game-changing talent. A line-up of Young-Brown-DeAndre Hunter-John Collins-Clint Capela, sounds darn good on paper.
Trade Idea #2
Hawks Receive: F-Brandon Ingram & F-Herb Jones
Pelicans Receive: G-Bogdan Bogdanovic, F-DeAndre Hunter & F-Cam Reddish
Much like the Jaylen Brown trade-scenario, Brandon Ingram does fit in well with this Hawks team. Unlike that JB-scenario, we are giving up a lot of defense for a guy that is middle-of the pack across the league. Again, these trades will require us to consolidate a lot of talent to land anyone, so Bogdanovic and Reddish/Hunter would be a requirement in any deal, but sending both is maybe where I may draw the line. Although in this scenario we do get to keep Huerter. A starting-five of Young-Huerter-Ingram-Collins-Capela, does not sound so bad! This could be a formidable offensive unit to deal with. Plus, you get another promising-young prospect with Herb Jones that helps offset the loss of Hunter and Reddish.
Trade Idea #3
Hawks Receive: G-Ben Simmons & G-Matisse Thybulle
76ers Receive: F-Danilo Gallinari, G-Delon Wright, F-DeAndre Hunter & G-Kevin Huerter
I am already out on this one because I am 100% against the idea of acquiring Simmons, but I must admit there is an argument to be made for his case in Atlanta. The first question would be his fit with Trae Young? They both flourish with the ball in the hands, but one is the superior offensive talent, while the other is the superior defensive talent. It would be hard to see Huerter and Hunter go, but Huerter still lacks consistency that we need and Hunter has been marred by injuries early in his career. Wright and Gallinari are veterans that could help the ‘Sixers win now. The key to this deal is that Cam Reddish would still be in an Atlanta Hawk uniform, and we could go all in on Reddish. This lineup would be a Young/Simmons back court combination-Reddish-Collins-Capela, the defense potential with this group would be nothing less than stellar. The worry and focus would be if Reddish could take that next step and become a go-to scorer for the Hawks. Thybulle would be a nice add-on too with his defensive presence.
Trade Idea #4
Hawks Receive: G-Bradley Beal & C-Montrezl Harrell
Wizards Receive: F-Danilo Gallinari, G-Bogdan Bogdanovic, F-Onyeka Okongwu, & F-Cam Reddish
Bradley Beal has been a polarizing topic for Hawks fans in any hypothetical trade scenario. My first take is that Bradley Beal wants to stay in DC. I do not think he wants to be traded, and I believe he likes being the head of the pack for the Wizards. Now, if there is some turmoil, and the Wizards decide to move on from Beal, the Hawks would firmly in the mix for the former-Florida shooting guard. Now in this scenario, the Hawks would still be hanging onto Huerter and Hunter. I do not think that is realistic, I think the Wizards would require more, but if the Hawks could get away with that, this trade is a shoe-in! Plus, the addition of Harrel would make a very tantalizing front court unit of Collins, Capela and Harrell. Overall, the Hawks would roll out a starting-five of, Young-Beal-Hunter-Collins-Capela. A backcourt of Young and Beal could contend for the top backcourt in the entire league.
Trade Idea #5
Hawks Receive: G-Donovan Mitchell & F-Royce O’Neale
Jazz Receive: G-Bogdan Bogdanovic, F-DeAndre Hunter, F-Cam Reddish & G-Kevin Huerter
Now this would be an absolute blockbuster, and a trade that would have to come from left field. There are no reports of any rifts between Mitchell and the Jazz, or that he would even want to leave the “Beehive State.” If I had to say so, I think he finishes his career in Utah. BUT, in the event a player of Mitchell’s caliber was ever available on the open market, the Hawks would kick the tires on a potential deal. As you can see in the scenario above, the Hawks would part ways with all their young talent. The only players left in the cupboard would be, Okongwu, Sharife Cooper and Jalen Johnson, which is not too bad. Could you imagine a true off-ball scorer like Mitchell paired with Trae Young? I think the results would be a top-tier team in the east, with a lineup of Young-Mitchell-O’Neale-Collins-Capela. The addition of O’Neale is underrated as well, he could easily take over at the three until Jalen Johnson is ready. This trade definitely gets you thinking for sure.
