Four Under-the-Radar Targets For The Atlanta Hawks Before The Trade Deadline

While the Hawks seem unlikely to go after the big names this trade deadline, there are several smaller moves that would make a ton of sense for the Hawks to acquire.

Mar 25, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) controls the ball as Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The trade deadline is exactly a week away and the Hawks are certainly going to be on the look-out for some moves that will give them a better chance in the postseason race.

Currently, the Hawks are the 9th seed and one game under a .500 record. They have two clear needs at both small forward and center - those positions need some more depth so that the Hawks can withstand the grind of the regular season and field some interesting options in the postseason. Kristaps Porzingis has been sidelined with Achilles tendinitis and Onyeka Okongwu's recovery from dental surgery should keep him out for a few games.

The recent move they made to send Vit Krejci to the Portland Trail Blazers doesn't fix these problems in isolation. They have more draft picks to play with, but those picks need to turn into a contributing player before it's too late for the Hawks to make a postseason push. If general manager Onsi Saleh opts to stand pat at the trade deadline outside of dealing Krejci, the Hawks are almost certain to fall short of the playoffs.

While there's a variety of options that the Hawks could look into, here are a few more unexpected possibilities that might be intriguing for Atlanta to explore. These are in no particular order.

Sandro Mamukelashvili - Toronto Raptors

Jan 5, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors center Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) drives to the basket as Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis (8) defends in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Hawks get: Sandro Mamukelashvili

Raptors get: Mo Gueye, 2029 2nd round pick, 2030 2nd round pick, 2032 2nd round pick

Sandro Mamukelashvili, or "Mamu", has been a great add for the Raptors this year. In the absence of Jakob Poetl, he is averaging a career-best 11 points, five rebounds and two assists on 62.6 TS%. The Raptors are 3.5 points better in terms of defensive rating when he's on the court and he's shooting 36.5% from deep on 3.5 attempts a game. Mamu does a little bit of everything and he's on an incredibly reasonable contract for a backup big.

Given that the Hawks' main needs are defense and rebounding, Mamu was statistically a net-neutral for the Raptors on that end while playing next to incredible defenders in Scottie Barnes and Collin-Murray Boyles. He has also played more minutes this season than he did in both of his previous two seasons combined. Given that the Hawks would really only be asking for 20-25 minutes a game as a backup big to take pressure off Onyeka Okongwu assuming Porzingis is almost entirely absent for the regular season due to his injuries, Mamu doesn't need to be enormously additive on that end in order to justify the cost it would take to get him. This is the first season of his career where he hasn't been above the 71st percentile as a offensive rebounder, so he'd be able to generate more possessions for Atlanta's offense. Perhaps most importantly, he doesn't take offense off the table in the same way that Mo Gueye does. Gueye is just a very limited player on offense with occasional hot streaks. Head coach Quin Snyder doesn't trust him and the Raptors would be only taking him on because they get three second-round picks in exchange for a player that doesn't really have a spot once Jakob Poetl returns.

Tari Eason - Houston Rockets

Oct 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) blocks a shot by Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Hawks get: Tari Eason

Rockets get: Mo Gueye, 2026 1st-round pick (via CLE), 2030 1st-round pick swap

While these scenarios aren't presented in a order of preference, it's hard not to get excited about how the Hawks could benefit from bringing Tari Eason in. He's legitimately been one of the best two-way rotation players in basketball this season. Part of that can be ascribed towards being in a contract year, but Eason has managed to stay healthy and contribute to a Rockets team with championship aspirations.

He's shooting an outstanding 47.9% mark from deep this season, which is the second-best mark of all NBA players. Only Luke Kennard has a better three-point percentage and Eason's doing it while taking a career-high 4.6 attempts a game. He's scoring 12.1 points a night to go with 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals. While there are some questions about how much a player like Mamu would really upgrade things for Atlanta, Eason is an incredible defender and rebounder. He has both an OREB% and DREB% above the 90th percentile, which is very hard to find. He's also an above-average shot blocker and gets steals at a good rate too (2.3 STL% this season).

Houston isn't going to let him go for nothing and NBA insider Marc Stein has already said that the Rockets aren't really interested in trading him. That being said, the deadline has a way of changing things and it'd be hard to say no if the Hawks put a 2026 first-rounder that'll likely end up somewhere in the 18-20 range and a 2030 pick swap on the table. The Rockets might still be able to keep Eason as a restricted free agent, but they're already a first apron team and he's going to demand a contract that pays him upwards of $20 mil a year. There's also a decent chance another team comes in with a big offer sheet and the Rockets can't afford to match it. Atlanta is in a much better position to give Eason an extension.

Jalen Smith - Chicago Bulls

Nov 9, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) and Chicago Bulls forward Jalen Smith (7) go for a rebound during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Hawks get: Jalen Smith

Bulls get: Luke Kennard, 2029 2nd round pick, 2030 2nd round pick

Jalen Smith has quietly been one of the more impactful backup centers in the NBA and although he's currently out with a calf issue, the former top-10 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft is still just 25 years old and looks like a contributor after taking time to grow into his role. He's averaging 10 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists a game on 38% shooting from deep (taking four attempts a night).

Smith makes a big difference on the defensive boards - he has a DREB% of 23% this season (89th percentile among all bigs). Astoundingly, the Bulls are 9.2 points better per 100 possessions with him on the court. That's good for the 96th percentile among all centers, which suggests that he could give the Hawks an offensive edge that they're lacking. Even though Atlanta's shot the ball well, they're still 21st in offensive rating. Smith could give them the extra bit of firepower that they need to start closing games out. Furthermore, he isn't an overwhelmingly impactful defender, but he hustles on the perimeter and brings a lot of athleticism on that end.

Saddiq Bey - New Orleans Pelicans

Nov 22, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) tries to get the ball past New Orleans Pelicans guard/forward Saddiq Bey (41) during the second half of the game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Anderson-Imagn Images | Daniel Anderson-Imagn Images

Hawks get: Saddiq Bey, Yves Missi

Pelicans get: Luke Kennard, 2026 1st-round pick (via CLE)

A Saddiq Bey reunion might seem strange on paper, but there's some legitimate reasons to be intrigued by what Bey can bring. He's averaging a career-best 16.5 points a game on 57.6 TS% while hitting 34% of his threes and 83.8% of his free throws. Bey was mostly injured on the Hawks, but he's showing what he can do with a big opportunity and is coming off a 34-point explosion against the Philadelphia 76ers.

If Bey is truly healthy, he could play as a PF backup for Jalen Johnson while also bringing something to the table as a rebounder. He doesn't turn the ball over and makes reasonably quick decisions, which is good to see as it shows he's not just hogging the ball. Bey's been a big contributor for New Orleans and it'd be interesting to see if they could get both Bey and Missi if they sent the worse of their 2026 first-rounders to New Orleans.