Proposed trade sees Atlanta Hawks land $179M backcourt tandem

The Atlanta Hawks are going to get a facelift this offseason, and it could include Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield. We just don’t know to what extent they are going to shake things up at this point. But the moves made at the trade deadline made the Hawks’ inactivity then look even worse in hindsight.

So far, the calls from the outside have been to avoid repeating that self-admitted mistake at all costs. Again, what that would look like has varied wildly.

However, two things on the Hawks’ list of things to acquire are perimeter defense and three-point shooting. They had the 26th-rated defense last season and shot just 32.6% from downtown in the playoffs, per NBA.com.

They would get both in ample supply if they did follow through on this proposal.

The Atlanta Hawks add defense and consistent three-point shooting in this proposed trade

This latest proposal, from Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, is one of the more economical we have seen from the Hawks’ point of view. Most of the deals have also mostly been of the consolidation type, turning multiple young talents into one proven commodity.

Swartz goes in a different direction.

Swartz makes note of the defense and playmaking that Brogdan would bring to the backcourt alongside Trae Young.

"Young and Brogdon (who averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists for the Pacers this past season) would form a formidable backcourt in the East. It would also open up more catch-and-shoot opportunities for Young, who nailed 48.1 percent of his attempts this season."

General manager Travis Schlenk and head coach Nate McMillan both mentioned playing Young off of the ball more. Young also acknowledged that he has proven to be successful at it.

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Swartz continued with the added appeal of Hield in this deal for Atlanta.

"Hield thrived following a trade out of Sacramento, giving Indiana 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 26 games and should get plenty of open looks off passes from Young."

Hield shot 39.1% on catch-and-shoot triples last season. Brogdon struggled with efficiency while appearing in just 36 games last season. But he shot 44.4% on catch-and-shoot threes in 2021.

Young sent 34.9% of his passes to Bogdan Bogdanovic as well as Huerter who were second and third, respectively, on the team in three-point attempts last season. Bogdanovic shot 34.7% from deep on Young’s passes while Huerter shot 39.6%. Collins shot 33.8% on Young’s passes for the season but that number was 35.3% before his injuries.

This is not a one-sided deal, though, Swartz continues.

"The Pacers open up more backcourt minutes and shots for players like Tyrese Haliburton and Chris Duarte with this trade, and Collins (16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.0 blocks) should be a good fit at power forward next to Myles Turner. Both he and Huerter are 24 or younger and fit into a mini-rebuild in Indiana."

The Hawks would be trading a contract they tried to move before the deadline in Collins as well as another in Kevin Huerter that, after his inconsistent postseason, they might be more inclined to deal.

Both players signed lucrative deals last summer but were plagued by injury and/or inconsistency all season.

Collins missed 23 of the final 27 regular-season games and had a lackluster postseason. He averaged 9.4 points and 4.6 boards while fighting through finger and foot injuries. Huerter shot career-highs from the floor and from three this season. But he averaged just 9.2 points while shooting just 29.0% from deep in the playoffs.

As far as proposals go, this one is fairly on the level. Most importantly, it will work financially once the trade kicker on Huerter’s deal expires this summer.