The Atlanta Hawks have struggled to achieve much success since breaking up their previous core group. They want to change that and the NBA Draft will play an important role in those efforts.
According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Conner, the Atlanta Hawks are shopping the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft with the intention of adding a talent to make a push for the playoffs.
The Hawks are shopping their first-round pick and intend to push for the playoffs, according to multiple league sources. Expect them to also be aggressive in free agency; the franchise wants to win now and capitalize on Trae Young’s emergence.
In O’Conner’s latest NBA Mock Draft, the particular trade he constructed for the Hawks was to send the No. 6 pick to the San Antonio Spurs for DeMar DeRozan and the No. 11 pick.
DeRozan could serve as a secondary on-ball creator next to Young. It’s not a perfect trade or fit, but this type of construct could be what Atlanta is immediately looking for.
After trading down in the NBA Draft order, O’Conner has the Hawks selecting Patrick Williams, a 6-foot-8 forward out of Florida State.
Selecting Williams, who is receiving top-10 hype from teams, would also give them an upside scorer at the forward position.
Pulling off a haul of DeRozan and Williams using the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft would be an intriguing possibility to think about for the Hawks. However, DeRozan wouldn’t be a fit unless Trae Young embraces playing more without the basketball in his hands.
It will be interesting to see what the Atlanta Hawks end up doing this offseason. The pathway to being a playoff team in the Eastern Conference for them involves a need for improved shooting and defensive impact—none of which DeMar DeRozan addresses.
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