Hawks Trade Predictions Ahead of Thursday’s Deadline
The Atlanta Hawks probably aren't being discussed enough as one of the teams to watch leading up to Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
They were an Eastern Conference finalist last season but now find themselves stuck below .500.
Their downturn could put selling pricey veterans on the table, but their upside—evidenced during a recent seven-game winning streak and triumph over the Phoenix Suns immediately after it was snapped—could push them to buy big in the kind of consolidation deal this roster could accommodate.
Nothing Brewing on the Ben Simmons Front
The Hawks have long loomed as a logical trade suitor for the Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons since they need a dynamic defender and have an unscratched itch for playmaking from players not named Trae Young.
To that end, The Athletic's Shams Charania described the Hawks as being the "most engaged with the 76ers in recent weeks." The sides reportedly discussed a swap built around "John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and draft compensation."
Value-wise, that seems reasonable enough, but it probably falls short of what Philadelphia seeks in return for Simmons. The Sixers are "committed to waiting for a player of [James] Harden's or Bradley Beal's caliber to become available," per B/R's Jake Fischer, and even the most ardent supporters of Collins and Bogdanovic would struggle to put them in that type of tier.
It makes sense for the Hawks to want Simmons, but it's tough to connect the dots on an actual swap.
Hawks Will Add an Impact Player
Some teams in Atlanta's position might treat their downturn as motivation for a gap year, essentially punting on the rest of the season in the hopes of collecting assets and executing a quick turnaround next year.
The Hawks are not one of those teams. The Hawks apparently "have zero interest in being a lottery team," per The Athletic's Chris Kirschner, and will "continue to be aggressive on the trade market."
Kirschner listed Simmons, Jerami Grant, Marcus Smart and CJ McCollum as targets. Of that quartet, Grant seems the likeliest to be bound for Atlanta before Thursday's deadline.
While Smart's defense and secondary playmaking would help, his emotional value to the Boston Celtics might make his too cost prohibitive. As Kirschner noted, a Young-McCollum backcourt could encounter the same issues that the McCollum-Damian Lillard pairing has encountered. The challenges of a Simmons swap were already laid out.
Grant, on the other hand, should be firmly up for grabs since he's in the heart of his prime while the Detroit Pistons are nowhere near theirs. He couldn't perk up the playmaking, but he would substantially improve the defense and slot in as high as second on the scoring hierarchy.
John Collins Stays (for Now)
Collins seems as if he's spent most of his four-plus seasons with the Hawks in close proximity to the rumor mill.
Apparently, inking a five-year, $125 million deal over the offseason didn't change that.
If the Hawks are anywhere near significant trade talks, Collins' name is typically attached somewhere in the report. That's due, in part, to everything from his salary to his stats and his frustration with his role and imperfect fit with frontcourt partner Clint Capela.
But what deal out there makes sense for the Hawks to sacrifice Collins? If a Simmons swap isn't happening, then it's arguable the answer is none. Collins is too valuable to give up for a Smart or Derrick White type, and even Grant might not be a rich enough return given Collins' age (24) and contract status.
His name will inevitably surface quite a bit over the coming days, but this crystal ball isn't buying the speculation leading to a trade.