The Atlanta Hawks must go into the 2025 offseason with an open mind. This isn't to suggest giving away players, but a willingness to listen to anyone other than Dyson Daniels and Trae Young. It is an impressive guard duo that the team should attempt to build around in a pivotal offseason.
With this in mind, the team could explore trading Onyeka Okongwu. You can only afford to pay so many pieces, and the Hawks didn't make the most of their window, already having to pay Jalen Johnson.
Pivoting away from De'Andre Hunter helped the cap situation somewhat, but still left questions. It does open the door for more surprise trades, and one obvious suitor would be the Los Angeles Lakers. The franchise is desperate to find lob threats and rim protection for its new superstar. Leading to the Hawks making a surprise trade that sets up another deal to help the franchise turn the page.
This trade brings in a needed first-round pick either to help the Hawks reset if needed or to make a secondary move. While it does open up the need to add rim protection, you've gone a long way in fixing the team's clear scoring concerns. Down the stretch of the 2024-25 season, all teams needed to do was get in Trae Young's way. The opposing defense would dare anyone else to put the ball on the floor and get a bucket.
Trading rim protection and a talented young player is painful, but it does fix this concern. Both Knecht and Hachimura are talented scorers. Both are great catch-and-shoot threats that this team so badly needs to add for Trae. While neither is a defensive star, there is the needed ability to stay in front and hustle enough to justify the questionable defenders.
Atlanta badly needs to make this type of deal to ease the burden off Trae Young and bring in an established veteran scorer in Rui. The current Laker has proven himself when the lights are brightest and will help add a consistent scoring threat to take pressure off Young.
Still, it is an iffy decision to give up on the talent of the center, even with the contract concerns and lack of scoring on the current Hawks roster. It is at least a move the Lakers are likely to call about, and one Atlanta should consider despite the talent of their starting center.