Proposed Trade Reshapes Atlanta Hawks Frontcourt, Secures Playmaker

Many expect the Atlanta Hawks to look different next season, But the real question is just how different do they need to be? This is still the same core that made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals just one season ago. And yet, with team executives expressing regret over not tinkering a little more, change seems inevitable.

We’ve already seen challenges made for internal improvement be echoed from the outside with an extra bit of advice for the team. And there was a proposed swap that seemed like a bigger assist to the Charlotte Hornets.

There is also the idea that the Hawks are the best landing spot for Rudy Gobert.

To that point, there is now a potential package that could get the deal done. It would come at a hefty price and could change the identity of the Hawks.

The Atlanta Hawks would have an entirely different identity if they agreed to this proposed trade

The initial suggestion that the Hawks are the best fit for Gobert came from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on his podcast, “The Hoop Collective”. He noted that the Hawks had several pieces that they could throw in due to being on large contracts. Windhorst also added that the base for such a deal could include swapping out Clint Capela.

Now, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley has taken Windhorst’s suggestion one step further, reshaping the Hawks’ frontcourt and securing a potential secondary playmaker. He begins noting the Hawks’ second-rated offense and 26th-rated defense.

Gobert, writes Buckley, is the perfect option for a roster headlined by Trae Young.

"Gobert, who finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting after earning the honor in three of the previous four seasons…could slide right into the same screen-and-roll duties handled by Capela. Gobert ranked among the 83rd percentile of pick-and-roll screeners; Capela, who had a more dynamic creator in Young than anyone Gobert played alongside in Utah, was in the 87th percentile."

The lack of passes from Utah’s guards to Gobert belies the fact that he is so effective and the narrative around him has followed.

Conversely, Capela’s lack of offense has often not been enough even with the level of defense he provides. And he could see a challenge from within if Onyeka Okongwu is allowed to grow as some would prefer.

This deal gets really interesting, though, in adding Collins and getting back Nickeil Alexander-Walker who was traded to Utah from the New Orleans Pelicans at the February 10 deadline.

Asked what he brings to the table, Alexander-Walker gave an interesting breakdown via KSL.com’s Ryan Miller.

“I’m a basketball player who can make plays off the reads, off catches, pick-and-roll actions, which is a lot of what goes on here. I’m really at my best getting in the paint and then making plays from there, and also as a perimeter defender. That’s where my main focus is right now.”

That sounds a lot like what Trae Young does with off-ball work and some defense added in.

It also sounds a lot like the secondary playmaker the Hawks have needed since last season, though, this is mostly in theory.

Buckley notes that Alexander-Walker failed to crack the rotation in Utah – and there are questions about that defensive prowess. But he also makes mention of the possible added scoring punch of a player that was averaging 12.8 points per game, albeit inefficiently, before being dealt away.

Collins missed the 23 of the final 27 games of the regular season with the Hawks going 15-8 without him. They were 6-3 with him in that stretch plus their 4-1 first-round playoff loss. The five-year man finished with a better efficiency differential than only Lou Williams and Delon Wright among the Hawks’ typical rotation players, per Cleaning the Glass.

He has been in hypothetical trade scenarios dating back to last season even being mentioned at this year’s deadline (subscription required).

We are not even a month into the Hawks’ offseason but a theme is emerging.

Many seem to feel there has to be some sort of shakeup in the frontcourt, though, there have been different variations of how that should look. The same could be said for the Jazz who many are preemptively breaking up.

"This is the type of trade its decision-makers could pursue if it deems major changes are necessary, and Donovan Mitchell expresses a willingness to stick around."

That has not happened yet.

It is hard to imagine the Hawks without the high-flying antics of Collins or Clint’s authoritative slams on the other end of Young’s lobs.

But expect this and other rumors to persist until there is a resolution either via some sort of deal or a statement to the contrary. The chances of the latter occurring seem highly unlikely at this point.