It did not take long for the 2025 NBA offseason to have a major trade take place. Less than 48 hours after the Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA Finals championship, a 3-team trade has taken place.
On Tuesday evening, the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and Atlanta Hawks agreed to a deal that would send Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta. In exchange, Atlanta sent their 22nd overall pick and Terance Mann to the Brooklyn Nets and Georges Niang to the Celtics.
Ever since the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals appearance, Atlanta has not had a season better than the seventh seed in the playoffs. Not only that, but they have also not won a playoff game in that span. Fans have been tired of mediocrity, and this trade is just what the fans have asked for.
Kristaps Porzingis Trade Is a Home Run Deal for the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta had two options this offseason: trade Trae Young or build around him. This trade makes it apparent that the front office wants to do the latter this season. The team already has several young stars expected to make huge leaps next season, including last year's number one pick Zaccharie Risacher and former Duke star Jalen Johnson.
This is arguably the most well-rounded team Atlanta has had since that historic playoff run in 2021. They have a well-rounded defensive presence in Dyson Daniels, who led the league in steals last season. Risacher and Johnson will continue to develop and will space the court very well, each of them being solid three-point shooters.
The key difference with this team is how Johnson and Porzingis can work with Trae Young in the pick-and-roll game. In each of the years Young has been with the team, he has yet to have a big man who can space the court as well as Porzingis can.
If, for some reason, Porzingis does not live up to that level of play, he is in the last year of his contract. If Atlanta has another season of mediocrity, the front office can blow everything up next year. As it stands, Atlanta needed to make some moves to get Young some help this offseason, and they did just that.