Dennis Schröder Trade Was a Massive Success for Hawks and Thunder

What’s so great about that 2022 pick?

A first round pick, no matter what year it is, is always exceptionally valuable in today’s NBA.

After helping the Golden State Warriors turn into the bona fide dynasty they are right now through the draft, Hawks GM Travis Schlenk knows this better than anyone.

He has started strongly in Atlanta – first with the John Collins and Tyler Dorsey selections, then next with the 2018 Draft choices of Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman.

With multiple draft picks in 2019 and plenty of cap space with which to maneuver next offseason, Schlenk has almost certainly just begun his reign as a wheeler/dealer extraordinaire.

Perhaps his crowning achievement so far is procuring that 2022 lottery-protected pick from the Thunder. If Russ can get that team into the playoffs, that draft has the chance to be one of the deepest of all time for one simple reason.

The 2022 NBA Draft might be the first in which both one-and-done college players and high school players can enter the draft simultaneously.

There has been much talk about this change in recent years, and NBA Commissioner has made it clear that a change is imminent. Much of the reporting has led people to believe that 2022 will be the first year this change will go into effect, making it an astonishingly deep class – and an amazing time to have a first-round draft pick.

Hawks GM Travis Schlenk has made a lot of moves so far in his tenure, but the Dennis Schröder trade has seemingly been his finest achievement so far.

Let’s see what he has in store for the future of the Atlanta Hawks franchise.