NBA Analyst Lists Three Possible Trade Targets For The Atlanta Hawks As the Deadline Gets Closer

What could the Hawks do at the trade deadline this season?

Dec 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon (15) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

At this point last season, Atlanta was the talk of the league, but for the wrong reasons. All of the chatter around the Hawks was around the trade deadline and what they would do with the pairing of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young, as well as the rest of the team. Now, things have changed.

The Atlanta Hawks battled the Milwaukee Bucks all the way to the final whistle in Saturday's NBA Cup semifinal, but they came up just short in the 108-100 loss and now their run in the NBA Cup is over. Atlanta will go back to the regular season and hope to continue their climb in the Eastern Conference Standings. Despite the loss, there is plenty to like from what the Hawks showed. It was not just the NBA Cup though. Atlanta has won seven of their last nine games and is positioning themselves to possibly make a run to the top of the Eastern Conference. The Hawks have some time off before they take the court again on Thursday vs the Spurs.

Currently, Atlanta is in 7th in the East, but they are only 2.5 games back of third place. Can Atlanta climb that high? That is going to be worth watching the rest of the season and I think they could if they stay healthy and figure some things out on offense.

With this surprising run of success for the Hawks, will that make them buyers at the trade deadline? If they are, Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz listed there players the Hawks could have as their top targets.

• Malcolm Brogdon, PG, Washington Wizards

• Jordan Clarkson, G, Utah Jazz

• Vasa Micić, PG, Charlotte Hornets

"The Atlanta Hawks have played excellent basketball over the past two weeks and shouldn't be looking to make any major changes to this roster right now.

Finding a backup point guard to help spell Trae Young (36.0 minutes a game, 15th-highest in the NBA) should be the goal, preferably a veteran with some playoff experience.

Brogdon should be extremely available from the lowly Wizards. Clarkson isn't a true floor general but averages 4.6 assists over his last three seasons. Micić, 30, is putting up 12.3 points and 7.2 assists on 48.1 percent shooting from three in his six starts with the Hornets this year."

I think these would be three buy-low candidates who could be impact players for the Hawks. Backup point guard has been seen as a potential spot the Hawks could address at the deadline. Second-year guard Kobe Bufkin has not played in the past few games, with head coach Quin Snyder opting to go with Vit Krejci in his place instead. Krejci is not a traditional point guard and has been up and down in this role. Brogdon is on an expiring contract, but has an injury history.

Clarkson is the guy that might interest me the most, but his price tag is not known. The Hawks have not been a good three-point shooting team and Clarkson could fill the backup ball handler spot and possibly give them a good shooter, although Clarkson is only shooting 30% from three this season for Utah.

It will be interesting to see how the Hawks handle the deadline. If they feel like they can grab a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, do they become buyers and try to make a run? Or do they stand pat and let this group see what happens? Atlanta is a young team with guys like Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jalen Johnson being the cornerstones for the franchise and they may just want to see how these guys continue to improve. Unless there is a great deal out there that benefits not only the Hawks for this season but the future as well, I think Atlanta may just sit tight at the deadline. The next month or so will be vital for the Hawks to figure this out.

Additional Links

Will the Atlanta Hawks Be Buyers At The NBA Trade Deadline?

Updated Eastern Conference Standings: Atlanta Remains In Hunt For Top-Six Seed After NBA Cup Run

NBA Analyst Poses Tough Question About Hawks No. 1 Pick Zaccharie Risacher