Last night the Atlanta Hawks entered the draft with four picks (3,19,30,34). After the Sacramento Kings selected Marvin Bagley III from Duke, the five-minute clock began for the Hawks with the third pick.
Prior to the draft, Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek reported that the Hawks were interested in Luka Doncic. With the third pick in the draft, Atlanta would draft Doncic and moments later he would be on his way to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Trae Young.
In addition to Young, the team drafted sharpshooter Kevin Huerter out of Maryland and sweet-shooting big man Omari Spellman out of Villanova. Last night’s draft kicked off the Lloyd Pierce era in Atlanta and it should also spell the end of the road for Dennis Schröder.
Drafting Young is a clear indication that the team is ready to move on. Schröder is a solid point guard who can attack the basket, make the extra pass and handle the ball. However, one area that the 6-foot-1 guard struggles in is three-point shooting.
Last season the guard shot 29 percent from behind the arc. Atlanta clearly wants to improve on their three-point percentage as a team. With the style of play changing in the league, teams have to be able to shoot the three and run the break.
Young may not be a “franchise player” but he does provide instant offense, solid shooting from all three levels and a box office stature (Just ask Migos’ Quavo)
Don’t get me wrong, Schröder is a talented player, but off the court and on social media he has been a bit of a nightmare. Last year, the 24-year-old guard was arrested for assault after a fight at a hookah bar.
In addition to the arrest, the Atlanta Journal-Consitution reported that the DeKalb District Attorney’s office wants to amp up the current charges to felonies. We also can’t forget that Schröder said he wanted to play for a contender as well. Oh yeah, he also unfollowed the team on social media to “get his following down:”
There are a few teams in the league in need of a playmaking starting-level point-guard. Schröder can run an offense, score with ease, lock in on defense (if he feels like it) and push the tempo.
Let’s take a look at a few possible trade scenarios that can happen post-NBA Draft.
One trade destination for Schröder could be the Orlando Magic. Last night Orlando drafted Mohamed Bamba (Texas), Melvin Frazier (Tulane) and Jarred Vanderbilt (Kentucky).
Drafting Bamba makes Nikola Vucevic expendable. This trade would be a win-win situation for both parties. The Hawks would acquire Vucevic on the last year of his deal. Think of this trade as a write-off for Atlanta.
Atlanta could trade Vucevic before next year’s trade deadline or give him a test run considering the fact that he is a crafty big man.
Vucevic is a traditional 7-footer with a soft touch around the rim. Last season he averaged 16.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Now the big man won’t block every shot but he will at least clog the lane.
Another trade scenario between these two teams could be Schröder for center Bismack Biyombo. Biyombo is a strong defender but lacks the offensive firepower that the Hawks are looking for. But this trade could possibly add a future second-round draft pick.
Schröder would be a solid pick up for the Magic who need more point-guard depth. As of now, Orlando is looking to rebuild for the future. After trading Elfrid Payton last season and missing out on Trae Young in the draft, they need to find a new lead ballhandler.
Schröder is extremely aggressive when it comes to looking to score. During the 2017-18 season, the Hawks guard averaged 19.4 points a game. Why not replace former Magic PG Payton with a guard who has a similar skill set but a more proven finishing ability around the rim?
Atlanta would receive an NBA champion and a defensive anchor in Tyson Chandler. Similar to the Vucevic deal, Chandler could be a target for the Hawks in order to clear cap space with an expiring contract. A potential trade between these teams could involve a draft pick to come with Schroder.
Phoenix drafted DeAndre Ayton with the No.1 pick last night at the Barclays Center. Ayton is set to be the face of the franchise alongside Devin Booker who has taken the league by storm.
With the addition of Ayton, Chandler is likely on the way out. Trading Chandler would be a positive for a rebuilding Suns team.
Making this trade will help the Suns because they will receive a solid guard in Schröder. Not to mention the team could use an extra guard considering that Brandon Knight is still recovering from an ACL injury.
The Suns also drafted Elie Okobo out of France. Okobo may not be ready to come over to the NBA right away, though, which would affect the Suns’ backcourt depth.
Schröder could join a Phoenix starting lineup that would feature Booker, Ayton, Josh Jackson and possibly Mikal Bridges or T.J. Warren. Phoenix would receive an aggressive guard who led the Hawks in scoring with 19.4 points a game.
Last but not least, Schröder could end up in the Big Apple. I am not sure how he would fit in New York considering that they drafted Frank Ntilikina last season and traded for Emmanuel Mudiay during the deadline last season.
Schröder would likely slide in as the starting point guard, where Mudiay continues to underwhelm and Frankie Smokes can play off the ball. However, this would be a perfect excuse for the Knicks to get rid of Joakim Noah who only played seven games last season.
Yes, the same Noah who was a force to be reckoned with in his Chicago Bull days. Noah struggled to get along with Knicks former Head Coach Jeff Hornacek. Also, the former Florida Gator had to deal with nagging injuries for much of the 2017-18 season.
This trade would be a no-brainer for the Knicks. Last season, the 33-year-old center averaged 1.5 points and 2 rebounds per game.
Next: Ranking the Hawks Worst 2018 NBA Draft Decisions
In order for this trade to go through I would imagine that New York would have to send two future second-round draft picks over with Noah, or even a first rounder (if Schlenk can somehow finagle one). Who’s to say that a change of scenery won’t help the former Bull turn over a new leaf?
All stats for this article are from stats.nba.com, www.spotrac.com and www.basketball-reference.com.