New Draft Night Trade Proposal Sees Bogdan Bogdanovic Land In Dallas, Tim Hardaway Jr + Picks To Atlanta

Will the Hawks be making any deals on draft night?

Apr 10, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) controls the ball against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NBA Draft is less than a week away.

This draft is going to be fascinating, namely because nobody knowns what the Atlanta Hawks want to do just yet. There is a lot of speculation about who the Hawks will select with the No. 1 pick, but there could also be a lot of movement in terms of trades next week. Starting with Atlanta at No. 1 and Houston at No. 3, there could be several teams trying to make deals during the draft.

While the No. 1 pick is the only pick the Hawks have on draft night this year, could they make a deal to land themselves a second-rounder in this draft and a future protected 1st? Bleacher Report's Dan Favale came up with a draft night trade that would do just that for the Hawks at the expense of one of their better players:

Dallas Mavericks Receive: Bogdan Bogdanović

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Olivier Maxence-Prosper, No. 58 pick, 2025 first-round pick (top-eight protection; turns into two second-rounders if not conveyed)

"Making it to the NBA Finals is proof of Dallas' concept—to an extent. It is not a license to sit back and relax. The Boston Celtics are now its standard, and the Western Conference will get more hellacious, health-permitting, next season.

Two voids stand out when surveying the Mavericks' roster and Finals performance: Two-way wings and a third offensive player who can not only consistently make shots but also regularly put opposing defenses in rotation.

Bogdanović checks the latter box. He just drilled 36.6 percent of his pull-up triples and shot 52.1 percent on drives while reinforcing his value as a secondary ball-mover and dependable spot-up sniper. His shot-making can slog through troughs, particularly when operating off the dribble, but he's someone to whom defenses overreact. The same cannot be said for any of Dallas' other non-stars.

Using Hardaway's salary to snag Bogdanović does put the Mavs at risk of losing Derrick Jones Jr. They must use an exception to re-sign him, and this deal doesn't shed enough salary to guarantee they'll have access to the non-taxpayer MLE. But Dallas can attempt to offset the difference by moving Maxi Kleber or Dwight Powell ($4 million player option).

Whether Atlanta should view expiring salary, O-Max and a first-round pick as enough compensation is debatable. That 2025 first is valuable when the Hawks aren't guaranteed to get the Sacramento Kings' selection (top-12 protection), and when their own is headed to San Antonio.

Atlanta's impressions of this deal could also change if it treats winning the No. 1 pick as a means to reorient its timeline around Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and whomever they draft. Regardless, the Mavs have other permutations they can peddle. Including Jaden Hardy or even Josh Green as part of different versions shouldn't scare them away from the bargaining table."

This is not a trade that I find favorable for the Hawks. Bogdanovic was one of their best players last year and the only valuable asset that the Hawks get back is a top-eight protected pick from Dallas, which is likely to convey. Hardaway Jr was unplayable in the playoffs for the Mavericks and he is not as good as Bogdanovic. Getting a second-rounder in this year's draft could turn out to be ok, but late second round picks rarely turn out to be valuable.

Bogdanovic averaged 16.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 3.1 APG while shooting 37% from three and 43% from the field. He set the Hawks single-season franchise record for three-pointers in a single season. PerCleaning the Glass, Bogdanovic had a positive point differential of +11.9 when on the floor, the highest mark for anyone on the Hawks. He should have been a finalist for 6th Man Of The Year and not only that, he should have won it. Bogdanovic also set the single-season record for made three-pointers in a season.

I don't think it is crazy if the Hawks trade Bogdanovic, but they need some better assets in return than that. There should be no shortage of suitors for Bogdanovic if the Hawks do decide to trade him, but Atlanta should look for better compensation for their team and their new No. 1 pick.