New Trade Proposal Has Atlanta Hawks Sending Center To Cleveland For Draft Assets

Would the Hawks make this deal with Cleveland?

Oct 14, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) is fouled by Philadelphia 76ers forward KJ Martin (1) in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The NBA season is still young, but it is never too early to start talking about trade season. The trade market is one of the most dominant topics all season in the NBA and one of the more interesting teams to watch could be the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta is off to a 5-7 start, but they have some players who other teams could be interested in, particularly the centers. Atlanta has two players on expiring contracts, Clint Capela and Larry Nance, and either could be moved before the deadline. It is not a guarantee however and for the first time all season, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder played all three of his centers in the same game, something that the Hawks might want to continue to do going forward. A lot will also have to do with how the Hawks are performing near the trade deadline.

Bleacher Report analyst Dan Favale proposed a new trade for the Hawks to deal Nance to one of the NBA's best teams:

Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Larry Nance Jr.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Georges Niang, 2026 second-round pick, Denver's 2027 second-round pick

"You know what they say: If it's not on pace to lose a single game, why try to make it better?

Because we can.

Cleveland's backup-big ranks are on the thinner side even when factoring in staggered lineups featuring just one of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. It will seem even shallower in the playoffs, when it's tougher to buy time with Niang or Tristan Thompson on the floor.

Reuniting with Nance is ideal. He can play alongside one or none of the bigs. Hell, there might even be a scenario in which Kenny Atkinson fields him alongside both, as the de facto 3.

Two second-round picks should be enough for Atlanta to part with a useful-but-not-core player. The extra year and $8.2 million left on Niang's deal could complicate matters. If it does, Cleveland has the additional mini-sweeteners to make it work. And when the incoming player deepens both the 4 and 5 rotation, it'll have the incentive to make it work, too."

I think this would be a pretty poor deal for the Hawks. Nance is currently leading the league in three-point percentage (probably won't last but still) and is a good rebounder. Niang is very poor defender who can get played off the floor pretty quickly. He is probably not a player the Hawks would want long-term and two second round picks is not enough for the Hawks to want to take Niang and give up Nance.

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