Ranking the Atlanta Hawks' best trade assets from picks to players
Trae Young tops Hawks' Tier 2 Trade Assets
5) Trae Young
“Trae Young probably isn't going anywhere after the Atlanta Hawks chose to move on from Dejounte Murray instead, but with just two guaranteed years left on his contract and the franchise cemented in mediocrity, we shouldn't completely rule out a Young trade this season,” Swartz wrote.
“The 25-year-old, three-time All-Star is still one of the best offensive machines in basketball and would look great on teams like the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat.”
Young is in Year 3 of a five-year, $215.1 million contract.
He will be extension-eligible in 2025 and will hit unrestricted free agency in 2027 without an extension before the latter. Young can also exercise his player option in 2026 to his unrestricted free agency one year early.
That is a lot of moving parts and only adds to the questions prospective trade suitors might have about acquiring Young.
His size and defensive shortcomings are easy deterrents.
The Hawks’ issues in building a proper roster around him also do little to alleviate concerns about Young. His perceived value is stuck between the appeal of his mercurial talents and the reality of the results they bring.
6) Onyeka Okongwu
“Okongwu is still stuck behind Clint Capela at center heading into training camp, although the 23-year-old is good enough to be a starter and is on a really good contract (four years, $62 million) moving forward,” Swartz wrote.
Okongwu is undersized for a full-time starting center.
He is also not a proven threat from the outside, making it risky to leave him at the 4 for prolonged stretches.
Okongwu has also shown a lack of durability, with three seasons of 55 appearances or fewer in his four-year career. He set career highs with 80 appearances and 18 starts in 2022-23. The Hawks are 17-19 when Okongwu starts.
Popular trade candidates fill Hawks' Tier 3 trade assets
7) Larry Nance Jr.
Larry Nance Jr. has already drawn trade interest, and he could be the first legitimate trade candidate among the current Hawks.
“League sources say that the Atlanta big man drawing the most external interest is newly acquired Larry Nance Jr.,” The Stein Line’s Marc Stein wrote on July 11 (subscription required). “Word is Nance, who came to the Hawks in the recent Dejounte Murray trade, is being chased by multiple teams in need of proven size.”
Nance can play all three frontcourt positions.
He is also in the final year of a two-year, $21.6 million contract, so it would make sense for the Hawks to flip him at the trade deadline rather than risk losing him to unrestricted free agency for nothing in 2025.
“The Hawks have been trying to trade Clint Capela for more than a year,” Stein wrote.
8) Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdan Bogdanovic is in a similar boat as Nance as a proven veteran who could easily assimilate into any number of situations across the league. Bogdanovic is a better player than Nance.
He is also an older player who has a history of knee injuries and two years remaining on a four-year, $68 million contract.
The right team would not balk at what the Hawks should rightly ask for in a trade for him.
9) Dyson Daniels
Dyson Daniels was a key piece of the Hawks’ return for Murray and put on a strong showing during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Daniels’ defense is good enough to warrant a slot several spots higher on this very list. However, his offense – specifically his perimeter shooting – is questionable enough for him to land here.
If he proves that his shooting in France was no fluke, he will quickly shoot up this list.