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Atlanta Hawks: Odds of an NBA Draft Day Trade?

By Matthew Brothers

Jun 25, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks owner Grant Hill (left) speaks as Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer gestures to Hill during a press conference at Philips Arena. The Atlanta Hawks officially announced today that it was purchased by an ownership group led by Tony Ressler, which Hill is a part of. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks owner Grant Hill (left) speaks as Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer gestures to Hill during a press conference at Philips Arena. The Atlanta Hawks officially announced today that it was purchased by an ownership group led by Tony Ressler, which Hill is a part of. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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With about two weeks until the NBA Draft, what are the chances the Atlanta Hawks make a move for a second year in a row?

June 22nd should be a very interesting night for the Atlanta Hawks. Last years NBA draft saw Atlanta essentially trade Jeff Teague for the 12th pick overall. The pick turned out to be Taurean Prince and the trade allowed Dennis Schroder to become full time starter at the point. This year at pick 19, the Hawks certainly have options. Prince really took advantage of his playing time in the second half so adding a rookie who can come in and contribute quickly is a must. So in short, if the Hawks due decide to trade up, GM Travis Schlenk will need to make a very important call quite early into his new gig.

The consensus around the league is that this is a pretty deep draft. Looking at the talent pool, its easy to see why. If the Hawks were to stay at 19, I’d imagine they would get a very solid player, but moving up could result in an all-star. If you look The Hawks’ draft assets and roster at the moment, many could make the case the moving up is the answer.

Possible additions..

Led by the youth of Dennis, Taurean, and possibly the return of Tim Hardaway, the Hawks are in a good position heading into the NBA Draft. Adding an impact player would seemingly give Atlanta a top young nucleus to form around. Keeping Tim Hardaway could likely mean letting Paul Millsap go, but with the salary committed to Dwight Howard and Kent Bazemore, a difficult road lies ahead either way. If Atlanta does trade up, three names especially could be in play. Malik Monk, Jonathon Isaac, and Lauri Markkanen all are viable options. Monk and Markkanen both can shoot the three and spread the floor possibly opening up options to Dwight Howard. Isaac would be a player potentially to replace Millsap, but Travis Schlenk has already said he would like to resign Paul so that is something to keep in mind.

If trading up is the play, a team like Dallas at nine, or Detroit at 12 are possibilities. With 11 picks in the next couple years, the Hawks have assets to use. It all depends if the front office feels strongly in the talent of this years NBA Draft. So far, all indications point to big time talent in the draft. To further our young talent, it would be wise to perhaps pull the trigger on a trade for an important piece of the puzzle. The future has the potential to be very bright for this Atlanta franchise.

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