Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Many have said that the Hawks need to move on from Trae Young. However, for all his faults, I still think he’s capable of being the first option on a championship team. Many people have made Hawks rebuilds, but it’s significantly rarer for people to build a contender around Trae. I’m going against the grain with this series, giving Trae what I see as the perfect opportunity to win many championships all while staying a member of the Hawks.
Hawks rotation:
Starters:
PG: Trae Young
He’s the star of the team, bringing both scoring and solid passing. Don’t need to explain too much here.
SG: Dejounte Murray
I still think Dejounte Murray fills Trae’s weaknesses, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He can make a solid 2-guard for this contending Hawks team.
SF: Lauri Markkanen
Markkanen has proven this year that he can be an All-Star, and he is the lead wing of this Hawks squad. He’s a great scorer at all levels, which fits great with this squad. He’s also the first of three seven-footers in this lineup.
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis has a reputation for being a three point shooter and has become a solid rebounder and defender throughout his career. His versatility at the power forward spot should be a massive help for this team.
C: Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert’s role is to be the best help defender in the league. Trae is a bad defender and people will get by him, but Gobert allows him to not worry about that and just play defense outside the three point line. Offensively, Gobert is also going to play the Karl Malone role (in basketball sense only) and be fed the ball by Young, who is a solid passer. His lack of three point shooting is perfectly fine; this team is as much built for him as it is for Young; everyone around him can shoot.
Bench:
Kelly Olynyk, AJ Griffin, Corey Kispert, Aaron Holiday, Sharife Cooper
Trade logic:
ATL/MIN:
Why the Wolves do this:
Rudy Gobert is on one of the worst contracts in the league. Acquiring Collins allows the Wolves to move KAT back to the center position and gives them better spacing. Capela gives them the flexibility to still run massive lineups if needed.
Why the Hawks do this:
Trae Young and Rudy Gobert could have a Stockton and Malone type relationship. There’s only one difference: Instead of Stockton’s great defense, Trae is a great shooter. This simply frees up more room on the interior for Gobert to operate. I think this is the ideal situation for a guy like him; the paint is clear for him to make easy shots and play great defense. The Hawks have more than enough shooters to satisfy Gobert’s needs. Besides, Capela and Collins should not be in the Hawks’ long-term plans based on how they’re playing; both should be expendable assets. Additionally, Quin Snyder has coached Gobert before, and the frustration wasn’t between those two, but it was in Mitchell and Gobert’s relationship.
WAS/ATL 1 (Kristaps, Okongwu, and Hunter):
Why the Wizards do this:
In this deal, the Wizards give up a borderline All-Star in his prime to get two players with All-Star potential. Both Hunter and Okongwu make extremely solid supporting pieces for the Wizards rebuild, and both should be immediately inserted into the starting lineup. Okongwu provides rim protection and Hunter can develop into a great 3-and-D wing in the future.
Why the Hawks do this:
When you have Rudy Gobert, you need to make as much space in the paint as possible on offense. Kristaps Porzingis enables this as he can be a solid threat from three while bringing even more defense in the paint. This Hawks squad has the opportunity to build a great team around Trae Young this offseason, building a great defense all-around to help hide Traes weakness on that end of the floor. With this core, everyone’s weaknesses are hidden because they are the other players’ strengths. Is that not the ultimate goal?
ATL/UTA:
Link: https://fanspo.com/nba/s/general/trades/wggV5Slvi2if21/the-hawks-rebuild-lauri-markkanen-to-atl-3
Why the Jazz do this:
As a general manager, Danny Ainge typically wants to be at the top or at the bottom of the league. It will be nearly impossible for him to build a contender around this team, especially while maintaining chemistry, so his best option would be to extract maximum value from the Donovan Mitchell trade and move on from his All-Star starter.
This is a more than solid return for Markkanen and Olynyk. Multiple first round picks along with a potential All-Star in Saddiq Bey and a solid role player to flip in Bogdanovic, along with some other potential young roleplayers for their future.
Why the Hawks do this:
The Hawks capitalize on all of their assets to acquire yet another young star. Markkanen brings yet another shooting big man alongside Gobert, and he can be the star wing that every championship contender needs. He finishes the Hawks’ All-Star team, with now every starter for them being an All-Star at some point in their careers. Markkanen is the third seven foot starter for the Hawks, creating a lineup that may be impossible for smaller teams to properly defend against.
WAS/ATL (Kispert for SRP) 2:
Link: Not listed as a stand-alone
Why the Wizards do this:
This is solid value for a player in Kispert who doesn’t have a huge role in Washington.
Why the Hawks do this:
They got rid of several shooting players in Bogdanovic, Collins, etc. and this deal brings a new shooter in for this bench in Kispert in exchange for a few picks that the Hawks acquired in another trade.
Please consider upvoting and flaming this post! It’s been a lot of work to make.