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Three Blockbuster Trade Targets Hawks Must Avoid

There has been no shortage of drama this week. Some NBA All-Stars might be on the move soon.

Pat Benson

© Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

We're down to the final days of the NBA offseason, and #NBATwitter seems to be overheating. A few of the league's best players are letting it known they are unhappy and, in some cases, openly looking for a new team. 

Naturally, because the Hawks have a war chest of assets, every website is trying to propose hypothetical trades that would land these players in Atlanta. Here are three All-Stars which the Hawks must avoid.

Ben Simmons

This may sound like a joke, but several websites (you know the usual suspects) have proposed trade ideas that would send Simmons to Atlanta. The 6'11 point guard is talented, but his limitations are clear after last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals. 

Simmons is only entering the second season of a 5-year, max contract and is threatening to hold out. No team should want to help 76ers General Manager Daryl Morey out of this jam. Sure, the Hawks could use his size, defense, and passing. But not at the cost of the team's young core and offensive continuity. 

Karl-Anthony Towns

KAT has been linked to the Hawks in hypothetical trades for years. The discussion surrounding the All-Star post player picked up steam again this week following the drama in Minnesota. 

Towns is a generational talent and does things on the court which Clint Capela cannot do (mostly shooting). But the Hawks just extended Capela's contract through 2025 thanks to his perfect assimilation next to Trae Young. The league-leading rebounder is low-maintenance, has no drama, and knows his role with the team.

Couple that with Towns playing with his best friend (D'Angelo Russell) on the Timberwolves, and I'm skeptical he wants to leave that situation. Should something change, and Towns demands a trade, the Hawks shouldn't even pick up the phone.

Zion Williamson

Earlier this week, Christian Clark of NOLA.com wrote an incredible story that documented the fractured relationship between Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Don't get me wrong, Williamson is a transcendent player. His post-scoring is on par with Shaquille O'Neal. The Pelicans are still struggling to find the best use of Williamson's skill set, and the Hawks would run into the same situation. But that's a pleasant problem. 

If Williamson ever became available on the trade market, the Hawks would have to trade half of Fulton County to acquire the superstar. Then they would have to worry about the Lakers or Knicks poaching Williamson through free agency in the summer of 2023. But players like Williamson are so rare, he might be the only player on this list worth the hypothetical gamble.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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