Atlanta Hawks considered trade destination for $100M star
Are the Atlanta Hawks close enough to a title contender that Draymond Green would put them over the top? Is the Golden State Warriors forward still the caliber of player capable of lifting his team in such a way? Those questions could deserve more attention than one might imagine given the Warriors are coming off of a championship.
It was the organization’s fourth in the last eight years and Green was critical to their success in each of them.
Green got suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first to overcome a 3-1 deficit in Finals history winning the organization’s first championship.
And yet Green, despite his value, could be available for the right price.
Draymond Green would bring toughness, IQ, and defense to the Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks went big this offseason trading away three first-round draft picks and agreeing to a pick swap for Dejounte Murray. Their new dual point guard backcourt has some questions. But the consensus seems to be that Murray is a perfect compliment to Trae Young. That doesn’t mean many are putting the Hawks back in the Eastern Conference Finals.
NBA.com released their offseason power rankings which, to be clear, are not the same as standings.
But they did have the Hawks occupying the eight-spot on their list.
That is slightly surprising given the opinions on the deal have ranged from “move of the summer” on the high end to an “awkward fit offensively” between Murray and Young on the lower side of the spectrum.
Murray checks the same boxes and is six years younger than the vastly more accomplished Green.
Even those power rankings acknowledged the need for more than one player.
BolaVIP’s Ernesto Cova suggested the Hawks should be one of the teams interested if the financial rift between Green and the Warriors worsens.
“Adding Green would give them another elite defender next to Dejounte Murray, albeit hurting their offense. But the Hawks have been in the market for a versatile defender who can put the ball on the floor, and Green checks all those boxes.”
Cova admits that John Collins is a better fit with the Hawks’ current frontcourt options of Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu. But he is not the only one to suggest a Collins-for-Green swap could be a good idea.
Heavy’s Jack Simone offered a similar proposal with the Hawks offering Collins and a first-round pick which would have to either be the lottery-protected 2024 first-rounder they got back for trading Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings or their own in 2029, the next year they will have control over their pick.
That variance in the draft picks would likely nix the deal if the actual player values didn’t. But there is no doubt that Green would bring a different dynamic to the Hawks.
“Who Green defended on Golden State’s road to the 2022 title tells you everything you need to know about what makes him special,” writes Scott Rafferty of Sporting News, “He went from guarding Nikola Jokic in the first round to Jaren Jackson Jr. in the second round to Jalen Brunson in the Conference Finals to Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams III in the Finals…If that wasn’t enough, players shot 16.6 percentage points worse than expected in the 2022 NBA Playoffs when Green was protecting the rim.”
It remains to be seen if they need it. But the 10-year veteran has proven to have all of the intangibles needed to help win a championship.
His availability is also unclear. The short answer might be that he’s not. But his sights are set on a max contract and reports are that the Warriors are not inclined to oblige. This does not mean that they would move Green to relieve some financial strain.
It is, however, something that could result in the four-time All-Star requesting a trade.
Collins has been in trade rumors for the last two years. That is unlikely to change even after he teamed up with his new backcourt in “The CrawsOver”.
But he is no slouch and the Hawks know that. That’s why their asking price for him has been high.
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As unlikely as it may be, he would help the Hawks tremendously.