Why the Hawks Do It: The Hawks have been surprisingly good this year. The defensive grit of Dyson Daniels, DeAndre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu and the rest of this Hawks roster has showcased that they can maybe be a little more than mid, as wins over the Cavs and Celtics suggest. With the core they have all they really need is a second superstar, and Anthony Davis can provide that. They give up a lot, but retain the core that has developed an identity for Atlanta and instantly become a top 4 team in the East.
Why the Lakers Do It: LeBron is getting closer and closer to retiring, and when he does, or demands to be traded, there won't be a lot left for the Lakers to build with around AD. Chances are, he gets traded as well. Getting an All-Defense caliber player in Okongwu, last year's first pick in Risacher, a flier in Kobe Bufkin, and three firsts, including their own from their subpar year so far, should be as good of a return as they can get. There are few teams that want AD or have the fit for him that can give the Lakers what they want. Of those teams, most of them have a big salary to offer in return that the Lakers just wouldn't want in a rebuild, for example the Knicks with Karl Anthony-Towns or the Pacers with Pascal Siakam. That shortens the list to the Hornets, Hawks, Pelicans, and Warriors. Chances are the Warriors trade for LeBron first and of the remaining teams the Hornets don't have the timeline, and I think the Hawks are the best remaining offer. Getting a bunch of expiring or small contracts along with roughly 7 firsts worth of young players/picks is a very solid haul for an aging, injury-prone superstar.
Hawks Next Steps:
Sign Tyus Jones/Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner in free agency
Let Clint Capela walk or resign cheap
Trade Bogdan Bogdanovic for picks/more wing depth
Ideal Depth Chart: PG: Trae Young, Tyus Jones SG: Dyson Daniels, Garrison Matthews SF: DeAndre Hunter, David Roddy PF: Anthony Davis, Jalen Johnson C: Myles Turner
This trade is a little bit less thought-out than my others, just thought it would be a cool idea and love the fit of AD on the Hawks so I threw out what I can. Let me know what y'all think