New Blockbuster Trade Idea Sends Smart to Bucks, Hawks Land Promising 6'11 Big Man from Grizzlies

Could the Hawks make a trade for one of the Grizzlies' best bench players and elevate him into being their center of the future?

Mar 8, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward-center Santi Aldama (7) dribbles as Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) defends during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The lack of a true long-term answer at their center position is going to be a problem for the Atlanta Hawks. Both Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu have been solid, but neither have definitively staken a claim towards being the long-term answer for Atlanta. Capela has been getting more of the starts while Okongwu plays healthy minutes in a reserve role. Although Capela's deal expires at the end of the season, the Hawks cannot be completely confident in Okongwu's ability to become the unquestioned starter for the 2025-26 season.

At the moment, the Hawks are solidly within the middle of the Eastern Conference. They are currently the seventh seed with a 7-10 record. While Atlanta has dealt with a large swath of injuries for most of the season, it cannot be ignored that the defense is still largely lacking outside of Dyson Daniels. He is a legitimate DPOY contender and practically a lock for an All-Defense team if he stays healthy, but the team still struggles to close out on shooters from deep. They give up the most threes per game and the highest three-point percentage per game across the NBA. Per Cleaning the Glass, they are 30th in effective field goal percentage conceded. Somewhat ironically, they are also not a great three-point shooting team. Atlanta is 22nd in three-point percentage and 20th in attempts.

Part of the solution to those problems could come from the Memphis Grizzlies. Although the Grizzlies are currently 7th in the Western Conference with a 10-7 record, they could use more shooting without taking on long-term money or pushing in all of their first-round draft picks. Furthermore, there is also some speculation that the Grizzlies could move on from shooting guard Marcus Smart, who won the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award. Smart's fit in Memphis has not been as smooth as they envisioned and he has not been able to get on the court with Ja Morant. In the seven games he has played this season, he is averaging 7.4 points and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 30.0 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three-point range.

Now, the Hawks do not need Smart. Dyson Daniels has been a fantastic defender for them and his shooting is extremely valuable. However, another member of the Grizzlies could fill a need for them. Big man Santi Aldama, who can play at both power forward and center, has had a nice start to the year for Memphis. At the moment, he is averaging 12.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 47.3/28.8/85% shooting splits. Aldama's in a bit of a shooting slump from deep, but he has shot over 34% from deep on decent volume for the last two seasons. Furthermore, his free throw shooting has taken a jump from last year and it could be reasonable to expect some positive shooting regression for Aldama. Even without his shot falling as well as it could be, he's a very impactful help defender and rim protector who consistently stays on top of his defensive rotations. He is also a good passer who shows signs of complex passing ability.

Even if the Hawks aren't interested in Smart, the Milwaukee Bucks could be. They've been in need of some additional ball-handling and perimeter defense all season. A healthy version of Smart could easily be that player and fits nicely on defense next to Giannis and Brook Lopez. He can also play next to Damian Lillard and make up for some of Lillard's deficiencies on defense.

What would a trade that sends Smart to Milwaukee and Aldama to Atlanta look like?

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks should do or will do. That is all.

Here is the trade.

Atlanta Hawks get: Santi Aldama, Pat Connaughton

Memphis Grizzlies get: Larry Nance Jr, Bobby Portis, MarJon Beauchamp, 2025 1st round pick (from Sacramento, via Atlanta, top-12 protected), 2031 2nd round pick (from Milwaukee, via Milwaukee)

Milwaukee Bucks get: Marcus Smart

Why the Hawks would do this deal: They move a pick that they don't control and an expiring contract in Nance for a player that could be their starting center of the future. Even if Aldama is only a power forward, he still offers tons of useful size and defense while also being able to play next to Jalen Johnson due to his shooting. Surrounding Trae Young with Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Santi Aldama and Onyeka Okongwu just offers an incredible amount of size that most teams cannot handle. That's to say nothing of Zaccharie Risacher and Bogdan Bogdanovic slotting in for more offensively-tilted lineups. At his best, Connaughton is also a good bench shooter who can bring an offensive spark.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal:  Giving up a first-rounder for Aldama and then immediately having to resign him to a contract is certainly a risk. Furthermore, Connaughton is practically out of the Bucks' rotation and he is on an expensive contract.

Why the Grizzlies would do this deal: Nance is a good backup center who offers shooting that the Grizzlies could desperately use. Portis has shot above 37% from deep for the past two seasons and is a reliable post-up option for Morant to work with. They also get a 1st rounder from the Hawks with a reasonable chance of conveying. Memphis has also consistently found good value in the draft so draft picks are definitely of high value to the team.

Why the Grizzlies would not do this deal: Nance is a fine enough shooter, but he alone is not going to be enough to lift the shooting numbers for Memphis. Portis is in the midst of a shooting slump (32% from deep through 16 games in 2024-25) and his post-ups have been fairly ineffective all year.

Why the Bucks would do this deal: Smart's a good ball-handler who competes for rebounds, offers some secondary offense and fits as a solid piece in a fairly leaky Bucks defense. He has tons of playoff experience and would give a shallow Bucks team some legitimate depth.

Why the Bucks would not do this deal: He has had trouble staying healthy and has not looked like the same player when healthy. Furthermore, he has never been a particulary great shooter from deep during the regular season. He does make a jump from a career 32-33% shooter from deep to a 35-37% shooter in the postseason, but there is risk involved with adding him to a Bucks team that has been solid from deep (15th in attempts, 10th in percentage).