Proposed Trade Sends Mikal Bridges + Other Assets to Atlanta For No. 1 Pick and Clint Capela

The Atlanta Hawks stunned the basketball world on Sunday when they won the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery. The Hawks came into the day with only a 3% chance to win the lottery, but they came out on top and it makes an already interesting offseason even more interesting.

Because this draft does not have a clear No. 1 prospect, there has been speculation that Atlanta might trade the No. 1 pick. Whether it is to trade down in this draft or to trade for a veteran player, there is the possibility that Atlanta could move the pick, though that is not on the mind of Hawks general manager Landry Fields right now:

"Not even our focus right now. Like... this is a point in time where the opportunity before us is an excellent one and it puts us in position. Positioning is key in this business and that is the position that we have right now, the No. 1 position. We will just keep doing what we do, gather as a group and we will figure this thing out in time."

If they were open to trading the No. 1 pick, what could a possible trade look like? Bleacher Report's Dan Favale had an interesting proposal that involved the Brooklyn Nets:

The Trade

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Phoenix's 2027 first-round pick, Memphis' 2028 second-round pick

Brooklyn Nets Receive: Clint Capela, No. 1 pick

Why The Hawks Do It

"This package slingshots Atlanta out of the sub-middle and into the meat and potatoes of the Eastern Conference—all while restocking its asset pool.

Bridges will remain one of the league's premier bargains for the next two years and would infuse the rotation with excellent off-ball movement, secondary creation and defense that should tick back up toward All-NBA level once he's no longer the No. 1 offensive option. Finney-Smith would add yet another combo forward who doesn't demand the ball to Atlanta's ranks. Between him, Bridges, De'Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson and Murray (barring a trade), the Hawks could run out some hyper-versatile combinations.

Losing Capela would leave Atlanta without a true big, but that's OK. Rim-running rebounders can be approximated more easily than wing depth, and Okongwu, while not traditionally tall, is more than capable of sponging up additional minutes as the primary big.

Frankly, a core of Bridges, Murray, Johnson, Okongwu, DFS, Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanović and Trae Young kicks ass. The Hawks may have designs on getting cheaper or breaking up their backcourt this offseason, but this return would give them the option of pure addition rather than subtraction or recalibration. That 2027 Phoenix pick also has the potential to be juicy, both as an actual selection or trade asset.

Why The Nets Do It

General manager Sean Marks doesn't sound like someone who's prepared to shepherd the Nets through another rebuild. That makes (some) sense. Brooklyn doesn't control its own first-rounder until 2028, rendering another top-to-bottom reorientation galaxies from ideal.

Perhaps bagging the No. 1 pick would be enough to change the organization's tune. Marks and Co. would need to believe that Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, Nikola Topić or Reed Sheppard is a certifiable cornerstone, but that's the caveat of any high-end draft-pick pursuit.

This year's rookie class makes that call tougher. It's not impossible, though. Bridges won't be on a well-below-market contract forever. In fact, Brooklyn is one year away from grappling with his pre-agency (unless he signs an extension).

Landing a cost-controlled No. 1 pick for him, an expiring contract and might-be-great, might-be-nondescript Suns future first-rounder is a reasonable gambit for a team that doesn't have a clear path out of mediocrity as currently built.

Capela's inclusion here would largely be an afterthought, especially if Brooklyn selects Sarr. That's fine. He is entering the final year of his contract and could be rerouted or act as insurance against Nic Claxton pricing himself out of town during free agency."

I think this would be a fascinating trade for the Hawks, but I am not so sure the Nets do it. They have been unwilling to trade Bridges up to this point and while the No. 1 pick is enticing, there is not a clear top prospect in this draft. I still think the Hawks will want to trade Murray in this scenario and see what kind of assets they could get back for him.

While I do think Alex Sarr would be a great fit for the Hawks, this kind of return would signal to Young that they are all in on winning and I think this is a team that could compete in the Eastern Conference.

I am skeptical that Brooklyn would want to do this though, unless they just fell in love with a prospect at the top of the draft. Trading Bridges and Finney-Smith would signal them going further into a rebuild, but they don't have their own picks. Trading away both of these players would make them demonstrably worse, but they could do it if they really like a prospect at the top as well as being unwilling to give Bridges a lucrative contract extension.

This is a possible trade offer and one that would entice Atlanta, but I don't think Brooklyn would be willing to do this deal.

It is going to be a wild offseason in the NBA and the Atlanta Hawks are going to be at the center of it.