Trade Idea: Hawks Go All-In On Donovan Mitchell

August is the slowest month on the NBA calendar. The NBA Draft, free agency, and summer league are in the rearview mirror. If not for the drama between Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets, we would be completely immersed in summer workout video season.

With little to discuss, hoops writers often use this time to work on hypothetical trade proposals. Fred Katz of The Athletic recently published a light-hearted article that pushes the limits of the imagination.

The Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes are at a standstill.

A big reason why?

The Knicks’ B-level offer is better than most of the other suitors’ A-level offers, @FredKatz writes.

More: https://t.co/9hpT9Lxe7M pic.twitter.com/GgEdZIPzsq
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) August 8, 2022

Katz developed a list of six teams that could go all-in on Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and detailed what it would cost each team to land the All-Star. Katz called it the "greatest possible offers" teams not named the New York Knicks could propose. Below is what the Hawks would have to give up in the hypothetical trade package.

Trade Package

Hawks Recieve: Donovan Mitchell

Jazz Recieve: John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, 2023 first-round pick (unprotected), Kings’ 2024 first-round pick (top-14 protected in ‘24, top-12 in ‘25, top-10 in ‘26, then becomes two second-rounders), 2024 first-round swap (unprotected), 2028 first-round swap (unprotected), and 2029 first-round pick (unprotected).

The article asks the question, why would the Hawks do this? After admitting it would be an "odd" move, Katz offered the following explanation:

"Salaries don’t technically work in this hypothetical. The Jazz are taking back a bit too much money, but that’s easy to fix. Utah could just send Rudy Gay or another of its veterans to Atlanta. Maybe the two teams could conspire to pair the two Bogdanovics together. Either way, the financial mismatching is easy to fix."

These are indeed sinister times we are inhabiting. Of course, Katz and The Athletic know there is zero chance the Hawks pursue Mitchell. They already have to figure out how to make it work with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray in the same backcourt.

The article is a thought exercise meant to entertain fans during the slowest month of the year. But nevertheless, this hypothetical trade proposal does earn the title of "The Worst Trade Idea Imaginable." In a sea full of hot-take artists, blog boys, and Twitter trolls, this fake-trade proposal stands out the most. Bleacher Report has 24 hours to respond.

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