The Atlanta Hawks are still looking to build around Trae Young, not deal him away. That is the only way to read a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey about the “disappointment” of Paul George’s first season with the 76ers and how that could lead to a trade.
According to Pompey, the Hawks are among the teams to reach out about George, a nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA pick.
Many questions must be answered about this.
“There was a belief that George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey could form the NBA’s best big three,” Pompey wrote on February 3. “But so far, the trio has been the league’s big incomplete, playing a total of only 10 games together. And sources tell The Inquirer that the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors have expressed interest in acquiring George ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
“The Sixers aren’t above making a deal before the trade deadline. They’ll probably look to work the fringes with moves that won’t set them back this season. But don’t expect them to give up on George just yet — unless they’re offered something they’d be foolish to refuse.”
Hawks ‘expressed interest’ in 76ers’ Paul George
George, 34, is averaging 17.1 points on 51.3% eFG with 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and a 36.5% clip from beyond the arc. He has appeared in 30 games this season and has not played since January 25, missing the Sixers’ last four games entering play on February 4.
The Sixers are 5-9 during George’s most recent bout with injuries. George has battled injuries during much of his career.
George appeared in 74 games in 2023-24.
He has not made more than 56 appearances in any other season since 2018-19. George was one of the more durable stars before that, even with his devastating knee injury in 2014. He is in Year 1 of a four-year, $211.6 million contract signed in free agency during the 2024 offseason.
He has cap hits of $51.7 million, $54.1 million, and a $56.6 million player option for the final season in 2027-28.
That being said, the Hawks can put together a package that makes sense for them.
Hawks trade pitch lands Paul George from 76ers
The Hawks have been without Bogdan Bogdanovic and Clint Capela for the past five and four games, respectively. Both players have been mentioned as potential trade candidates ahead of the 2025 deadline.
They also happen to serve as the ideal (for the Hawks, that is) anchor in a potential trade offer for George. Adding Cody Zeller would satisfy salary-matching rules.
The Hawks could include the Lakers’ 2025 first-round pick to seal the deal.
Other iterations of this deal could include reserve forward David Roddy or second-year guard Kobe Bufkin, though he is out for the season and has not proven much at the NBA level.
The Hawks could also look to trade the conditional 2025 first-rounder owed to them by the Sacramento Kings or the 2027 pick that will come from the Milwaukee Bucks or New Orleans Pelicans instead of the Lakers pick.
However it would happen, the Hawks could do it.
Whether or not they should or what the 76ers want is another topic. Committing resources to George has not worked out for the Sixers. The Hawks would be paying him and giving up more to acquire him.
That makes George seem like a short-term fix – the Hawks lost Jalen Johnson for the rest of the season with a torn labrum and the surgery to repair it – with long-term ramifications. They may need to make a move, but not one for George.