NBA Trade Deadline: Analyst Names Three Last-Minute Trade Targets For the Atlanta Hawks

The NBA Trade Deadline is nearly 48 hours away and this has already been one of the craziest trade deadline weeks in NBA history. Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis swapped teams this past Saturday and then De'Aaron Fox was traded from Sacramento to San Antonio on Sunday. There have been other rumblings of other landscaping shifting trades in the league as well and things could get even crazier.

The Atlanta Hawks are going to be one of the most interesting teams to watch leading up to Thursday's deadline. Players such as Clint Capela, Cody Zeller, Larry Nance Jr, and Bogdanovic have been mentioned as trade possibilities, but will the Hawks move any of them? The team announced last week that star forward Jalen Johnson is going to miss the rest of the season and that is something that could potentially alter their plans at the deadline. Bogdanovic has been out for the Hawks and has been listed as "Not With Team". Both Capela and Nance are expiring deals. It feels like the Hawks are going to make a move, but what would that look like, and for who? The Hawks have not been connected to many players outside of earlier reports about Brandon Ingram and Paul George

When talking about last minute trade targets for the Hawks, Bleacher Report Analayst Greg Swartz Listed three players for Atlanta:

Kyle Kuzma, F, Washington Wizards
John Collins, PF, Utah Jazz
Marcus Smart, G, Memphis Grizzlies

"Now on the hunt for a replacement at power forward with Jalen Johnson out due to season-ending shoulder surgery, the Atlanta Hawks have a few options that should be available.

Kyle Kuzma has a nearly identical frame to Johnson and brings some of the same qualities to the table with his scoring, athleticism and versatility. The 29-year-old is averaging 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his 27.4 minutes.

A reunion with Collins is an intriguing possibility, as the 28-year-old is having a terrific season in Utah with averages of 18.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and a sparkling 45.3 percent mark from three. Smart helps improve Atlanta's 16th-ranked defense and gives them some more playmaking behind or alongside Trae Young."

These are each interesting in their own way, but I don't think they would be great additions for the Hawks in terms of the future.

The one that I think is the least likely of the three players is Kuzma. Kusma has two more years on his current contract after this one and he is not having a good season at all. He is shooting a career-worst from the field and from three and has not been a positive player for what is a horrendous Wizards team. Could that change if he is on a better team? Possibly, but between his poor shooting and poor defense, Kuzma does not make much sense for the Hawks and I would not trade for him.

A Collins reunion with Atlanta would be intriguing and he would help them in the short term with Johnson out for the season, but what about his fit after the rest of this season? Collins only has one more year on his deal and is shooting a career-high 46% from three for the Jazz this season. Nearly two years after trading him to Utah, would the Hawks want to go get Collins back?

Smart might be the most logical addition to the team due to the Hawks needing a backup point guard, but Smart has not played much this season due to injury. If he came at a cheap cost, it would be worth doing, but the Hawks should not be giving them actual assets. In 18 games played this season, Smart is averaging 9.2 PPG and 3.8 APG on 37% shooting and 33% shooting from three. It has not been a good season for Smart in Memphis and it is probably not wise for the Hawks to invest in him.

Atlanta needs to be interested in finding trades that are future-based and will help them for more than just a few months and if the right deal is not there, this team could look exactly as it does now. In a situation where the Hawks had control of their own picks, they would be inclined to maybe better their draft position after a season-ending injury to Jalen Johnson, but the Hawks don't have control over their own picks until 2028. That's what makes them such a tricky team to figure out two days ahead of the deadline.

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