5 Trades for De’Andre Hunter the Atlanta Hawks could consider

The Raptors have another forward to decide on

If Siakam is not interested in a trade, OG Anunoby would suffice. He too is heading into the final year of his contract on a team that is not particularly close to contending for a championship as currently constructed.

Anunoby, 25, averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists this past season while also swiping 1.9 steals to lead the NBA.

That would be nice to pair with the 2021-22 steals champ in Murray.

This deal would be cleaner than one for Siakam, not requiring additional salary to satisfy the league’s salary-matching rules. That is just one of the potential pros to pivoting from Siakam to Anunoby.

The 6-foot-7, 232-pounder is also a far better shooter than his teammate, knocking down 38.7% of his triples this past season giving greater positional versatility than Hunter whose career-best 37.9% mark from downtown in 2021-22 is only slightly better than Anunoby’s 37.5% mark for his career.

Anunoby is heading into the third year of a four-year, $72 million contract.

This deal also shaves $1.4 million off the bottom line, though Anunoby will also command a hefty sum in a new deal after the 2024-25 season and sooner if he opts out next summer.

“Anunoby told representatives…that he was searching for greater ball-handling and playmaking duties in advance of his upcoming contract talks,” wrote Yahoo Sports NBA insider Jake Fischer on July 1. “Without that chance…there remains the ongoing possibility that Anunoby could request a trade from the franchise.”

Toronto also added Jalen McDaniels in free agency this offseason which could further eat into Anunoby’s touches and, potentially, push him to request a trade.