The Atlanta Hawks have their point guard and offensive engine in four-time All-Star Trae Young, but they have struggled to build a consistently competitive roster around him. That could change this offseason if the latest odds linking them to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid bear out.
The Hawks are viewed favorably to be the seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA pick, three-time All-Defensive Teamer, and 2023 MVP’s next team.
Getting a deal done could be quite tricky for the Hawks.
Embiid is set to count $59.5 million against the cap in 2025-26. After Trae Young – who will count $46 million on the books – the Hawks’ next highest cap hit next season is Jalen Johnson at $30 million.
Johnson is not getting traded, so the first Hawks player who could realistically end up in such a deal for Embiid is Terance Mann with his $15.5 million cap hit for next season.
Mann will be starting a three-year, $47 million pact.
Onyeka Okongwu and Zaccharie Risacher are the only other Hawks with contracts worth at least $10 million, oftentimes the ballast of blockbuster trades for stars. Georges Niang ($8.2 million) and Dyson Daniels ($7.7 million).
There does not appear to be any feasible way for the Hawks to acquire Embiid in a trade without sending out Young, Johnson, or Risacher.
Risacher might be the most realistic option in the group and is still a long-shot inclusion.
The Hawks tried to pair Young with Dejounte Murray, giving their star the only All-Star teammate of his career. However, doubts about that pairing emerged immediately and were proven correct resulting in Murray getting traded to the New Orleans Pelicans last offseason.
The Hawks have looked better in many ways with this new-look roster. That could be informative when considering a deal for Embiid.
But Young has openly spoken about wanting to play with a dynamic center too.
Sixers urged to trade Joel Embiid as Hawks emerge among betting leaders
All of this assumes the Sixers indeed trade Embiid. He is in the final year of a four-year, $213.3 million contract. However, he is set to start a three-year, $192.9 million extension in 2025-26. That deal could be difficult for the 76ers to move given Embiid’s injury history and the CBA.
Embiid had played in 19 games this season entering play on February 26 and is posting the second-worst true shooting mark of his decorated career.
From a basketball standpoint, durability is the only concern, but it is significant and legitimate.
Sixers general manager Daryl Morey says they are still planning to continue building around Embiid alongside Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. But former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins believes the Sixers should move on from two of the three.
“We’ve been talking about what Kevin Durant is gonna go this offseason with the Phoenix Suns. It’s the same thing with the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid and Paul George are both in Tyrese Maxey way, right? And at the end of the day, these habits that Joel Ebiid – he’s been having bad habits, and it’s starting to show out even more,” Perkins said on “NBA Countdown” on February 7.
“When you’re trying to play through injury, you gotta go the extra mile, right? Outside of the lines, and it’s showing.”
If Emiid is stunting Maxey, might he doe the same to Young?
Young is far more of a pure point guard than Maxey is. But building a roster around two high-priced players – which opens up a financial can of worms about this Hawks ownership group – is tricky enough.
Having to do it with one player who has never played more than 68 games in a season is nearly impossible, as the Sixers are showing.
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