NBA Trades: If Trade Deadline Were Today, One Analyst Says the Hawks Should Find a Third Star

Atlanta has started off the season 6-6

Is the NBA Trade Deadline far away? Yes. Is that going to stop people from talking about fake trades and ways to improve teams? Absolutely not. 

The NBA season is only a month old, but some teams might be ready to start talking about ways that they can shake up their teams. While the Hawks have not gotten off to a super stellar start, there is still plenty of time to start showing improvement. 

However, if the trade deadline were today, what might the Hawks do? Bleacher Reports Greg Swartz asked this very question and for Atlanta, he said they should be focused on finding a third star to pair with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. 

Should the Hawks consider adding Pascal Siakam? / © John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Here is what Swartz had to say: 

"Following a season in which they went 41-41 overall, the Hawks have begun the 2023-24 campaign a perfectly even 6-6 as well.

There's enough of a sample size here to know Atlanta should once again fall into the play-in tournament in the East, as a roster of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and some high-quality role players can only carry the Hawks so far.

If there was ever a team in need of a third star, this is it.

Even after trading for Murray, the Hawks can still part with multiple first-round picks (either their own or a 2024 selection via the Sacramento Kings plus one in 2029 or 2030) and have some intriguing young talent to offer as well.

This could be a potential home for a player like Karl-Anthony Towns, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby or Jerami Grant at the deadline"

These are intriguing names, but I think a couple of them might not help the Hawks as much. Jerami Grant is a good player but I would not consider him a star and I don't think adding him would change the Hawks's outlook much if at all. KAT is a great talent on the offensive end, but his defensive issues might not mesh well with the Hawks, who are already a defensively challenged team. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 20th in points per 100 possessions allowed and 21st in effective field goal percentage allowed. KAT would make the Hawks arguably the best offense in the NBA, but they could not advance far in the playoffs with him in my opinion. On top of that, both players have big and unappealing contracts. 

Siakam and Anunoby would be intriguing though and the Hawks had been linked to Siakam throughout the summer. 

Would a trade for OG Anunoby make sense for the Hawks / © Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

n August, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported this:

"Atlanta has offered a package centered around De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and draft compensation to Toronto for Siakam, league sources say. But the Raptors are believed to have upped the price on any possible deal at each turn."

While I don't think it would happen anytime soon (or maybe at all), is it possible that the Hawks revisit this trade? Well, Bleacher Reports Zach Buckley had a proposal for the Hawks to land Siakam and it was built around a similar trade package that Charania suggested earlier this offseason.

In this trade proposal, the Hawks sent out De'Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin, a 2024 first-round pick (lottery-protected, via SAC), a 2025 second-round pick (via MIN), and a 2027 second-round pick (via MIN) to the Toronto Raptors for Pascal Siakam and Otto Porter Jr.

Here is what Buckley had to say about the trade:

"The Hawks have been hot on Siakam's heels for a while now, and they should continue trying to get a deal done. Their John Collins-free forward rotation has a few interesting options, but there is no obvious difference-maker in the mix. Siakam would change that. He is a two-time All-NBA honoree who has already played a significant role on a championship team.

He seemed a touch over his skis as Toronto's focal point this past season, but he could ramp up his efficiency—and potentially maintain much of his volume production—while sharing the offensive load with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Atlanta's hiring of coach Quin Snyder in February communicated a clear desire to compete at a high level with this core, but the roster still appears one star short of making major noise in the Eastern Conference. This deal would deliver that star, plus Porter as mostly a salary-filler but also a capable reserve if he can get—and stay—healthy."

I think that Siakam is a fantastic player, but the reason that the Hawks or anyone else who wanted to trade for him has not yet is that Siakam is in a contract season and wants a big extension and it is not clear that he would do sign one for whoever trades for him.

A trade is unlikely to happen anytime soon, but as the deadline gets closer later in the season, it will be interesting to see if the Hawks revisit the talks and try to land Siakam and make a big move and if his feelings toward an extension have changed. For now, it is just a fun rumor to talk about.

Anunoby is one of the best two-way players in the NBA and his defense would be a welcome addition to Atlanta, but he is in a contract year and would need an extension. It would be a lucrative extension and Atlanta might not want to make that kind of commitment to him. 

Atlanta has not played since Friday, but they are back in action tomorrow night against the Indiana Pacers in another in-season tournament game. Tip-off is set for 7:30 tomorrow night in Atlanta. 

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