The Atlanta Hawks had a disappointing season, winning just 36 games and finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference and losing to the Bulls in then Play-In Tournament. Then on May 12th, there was a gift as they landed the number 1 pick. In what is considered a weak draft, you would rather have won the lottery last year, the Hawks were not eligible for last year’s lottery as they made the playoffs, but still the 1st pick is the 1st pick.
I’ll be honest, I have not studied this draft at all so I can’t tell who I think should be the top pick but everyone says they would take Alex Sarr, a 7 foot 1 center from France. With Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu already on the roster, it would likely lead to at least one, maybe both, of them being traded. Whether they draft Sarr, a different center at 1, or no center at 1, they should trade Capela. I think the Wizards are a team that could make sense for Capela, with Marvin Bagley and Richaun Holmes as their only options currently on the roster, assuming they don’t take Sarr at number 2, Capela could be a one or two year bridge option as Washington continues their rebuild and he would not cost very much. The Memphis Grizzlies are another team that could make that call. They just lost Steven Adams and need a center to play with Jaren Jackson Jr. in the front court. Capela for Luke Kennard and John Konchar is a deal both sides could make. Okongwu is a different case study. He is better and younger than Capela and I would not be surprised if the Hawks wanted to keep Okongwu either. Kennard and a protected 2025 first round pick for Okongwu could make sense for both sides but there would be a bunch of teams who want to trade for Okongwu should he become available. The centers could be one the moves and the number 1 pick is fun, but those are not the biggest talking points of the Hawks offseason.
In 1,172 minutes on the court together during the 2023-24 season, Trae Young and Dejounte Murray had a net rating of -5.7, an offensive rating of 117.9 and a defensive rating of 123.6, according to pbpstats.com. The Hawks are better with Young than they are Murray as well. With Young on and Murray off they had a net rating of 3.5 and with Murray on and Young off they had a net rating of -0.6. They are better with one on the court than they are both and they are best with Trae Young on the court. Now, they could get more for Young than they could Murray so that has to be a part of the thought process. I think the Pelicans make the most sense for a Murray trade and Brandon Ingram could go the other way. The contracts do not match so the deal could be Murray, Garrison Mathews, and Bruno Fernando for Ingram and some sort of draft compensation. Maybe one of the 2025 Lakers pick or the 2027 Bucks pick could go to Atlanta. The Spurs could trade Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham, and one or two of the picks that the Hawks sent the Spurs in the original Murray trade. That one would surprise me though. Young should have a lot of suitors if he becomes available. The Lakers would be the one everyone talks about. Young for Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, the Lakers own 2029 first round pick, and the Lakers own 2031 first round pick. The Nets are another destination for Young. Young for Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dariq Whitehead, the 2025 Suns pick, the top 8 protected 2027 76ers pick, and the 2029 Mavericks pick is a deal that could make sense for both sides. The Hawks could get more for Young but I would rather keep Young than Murray.
The only player on the Hawks roster that should be untouchable is Jalen Johnson. Johnson has turned himself into a really good player. In his 3rd season, Johnson broke out, averaging 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds after not being a huge part of the Hawks his first 2 seasons, playing behind John Collins. Johnson is also the Hawks best defender, usually taking the matchup of the other team's best player. He makes it a lot easier to trade Deandre Hunter and the 3yrs/$70 million left on his contract. I like Hunter, he is a solid 3 and D wing that can help any contender. I also think Hunter can help Atlanta’s young frontcourt. A Johnson/Sarr frontcourt is super young but also very talented and a player who has been a part of a deep playoff run like Hunter was could help those guys. Bogdan Bogdanovic is another player who could get moved but I wouldn’t be so quick to trade him. Bogdanovic is an elite scorer who can score at all 3 levels and could slide into the starting 2-guard spot should the Hawks trade Young or Murray. A.J. Griffin and Kobe Bufkin are 2 players that Atlanta needs to invest in as well. Their past 2 first round picks did not play a huge role last season and need to play a bigger role in the future.
I understand the Hawks need to recoup some of the picks they lost in the Dejounte Murray trade they made 2 years ago but I would not be so fast to use Trae Young as the avenue to do it. Young is a bad defender and gets a lot of slack for it but he is absolutely that good on the other end that you can try and build a team around him and it can be successful. We have proof that it works with the Hawks' run to the Conference Finals in 2021. The Hawks need to make changes to their team but the number 1 overall pick is a good place to start.
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