Could A Former Top-Ten Pick Be A Trade Target For Atlanta?

Could the Hawks look to trade for a former Lottery Pick?

Mar 5, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) brings the ball up court past Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Traning camp is right around the corner for Atlanta and the 2024-2025 season is just a little more than a month away. The Hawks have made some significant moves to add to their team this offseason, particularly drafting French forward Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick and trading Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for a package centered around Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, and two first round picks. This is going to be a different looking team in Atlanta this season and I think the Hawks are going to be one of the most fascinating teams to watch in the NBA this season.

Are they still in need of another trade? There have been rumors about guys like Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, and Larry Nance, but nothing substantial. The list of guys that might be available has certainly shrunk over the offseason and there might not be much activity around the league until the trade deadline gets closer in February. Still there might be some trade targets out there who could upgrade the Hawks and Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus listed former No. 6 overall pick Bennedict Mathurin as the Hawks's most realistic Dream Target in the trade market.

"The Hawks seem to have chosen between Dejounte Murray (traded to the New Orleans Pelicans) and Young, but the franchise could reset entirely in the right situation. Assuming Young sticks for the year, the team needs to add youthful, athletic talent that doesn't hurt the budget.

Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers would make a great addition to rising star Jalen Johnson and No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher."

Over the course of two seasons, Mathurin has averaged 15.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.7 APG on 44% shooting from the field and 34% from three. He had his season cut short in March with a right torn labrum and he had season-ending surgery. He has shown the ability to score off the bench and be a spot starter if needed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Pacers were -3.9 in the 1,512 minutes that Mathurin played and they were generally better when he was off the court. Now, he has only played two seasons and he is on a nice contract, but it is still unclear how good of a player Mathurin is in the NBA.

What would a trade for Mathurin even look like? If the Pacers were interested in Nance, you could do that straight up, but it gets kinda complicated after that. You can't do a trade for De'Andre Hunter (who they have been linked to in the past) straight up and the rest of the pieces I am not sure interest either side. I don't think the Pacers want Clint Capela.

Mathurin would be an interesting flyer for the Hawks, but he does not address their biggest need of getting better on defense so I don't know if it is a risk worth taking.