NBA Trade Rumors: New Report Links Atlanta To 76ers Star Paul George

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 missed the last four games 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?

Could the Hawks make a move for 76ers forward Paul George? 76ers Reporter Keith Pompey at the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that the Hawks and the Golden State Warriors are two teams that have shown interest in George ahead of the trade deadline on Thursday.

Now is not time for Sixers to trade Paul George, who has drawn attention from the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors https://t.co/prVYHc4Liu via @phillyinquirer
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) February 3, 2025

You can read the entire piece here.

This is certainly interesting from the Hawk's perspective if true. In the past, George would have been a seemingly good fit beside Trae Young and the rest of the team, but now I am not so sure. George just signed a four-year deal this offseason and it gets increasingly more expensive. George is owed $51.6M next season, $54.1M in 2026-2027, and if he opts into his player option for the final season (he almost certainly will), he will be set to make $56.5M. George is 34 years old and has not been the same player that he has been in the past. He is currently averaging 17.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 4,7 APG on 43% shooting from the field and 37% from three.

The Hawks could use George in the short term given that Jalen Johnson is going to miss the rest of the season, but the long-term money of his contract does not make sense if I am the Hawks, George has not been the same player as he was on the Clippers, and he has had trouble with injuries, which is not something Atlanta needs more of. If the Hawks wanted to take on George's contract, then they should try to get a draft pick attached to it. I also think this would likely need to be a three-team trade, but it does not have to be.

Right now, this is just one rumor leading up to the deadline and there are certainly going to be plenty more between now and Thursday. It has already been perhaps the craziest NBA Trade Deadline in history given the Luka Doncic-Lakers deal and De'Aaron Fox being traded to the Spurs. It seems like anything is possible in the league right now, including with the Atlanta Hawks.

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