Challenges For Potential Playoff Push

This season, it will be tough for them to climb back into the playoff picture and avoid the play-in tournament entirely, but a duo of Ben Simmons and Trae Young would definitely be hard to stop in pick-and-roll sets. 

Should Simmons be willing to take a step back and not always be the guy with the ball in his hands dictating an offense, he could really thrive as a power-forward that rolls to the basket next to Trae Young. Between that and what he can do defensively, Simmons could actually be the key to the Hawks finding success during the second-half of the season. 

John Collins is eligible to be traded after January 15, giving the Hawks roughly 3-4 weeks to figure things out on whether or not they want to trade for Ben Simmons. 

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hawks do not want to take on Tobias Harris’ contract in a trade for Ben Simmons, leading us to believe that a trade package centered around John Collins and possibly even Kevin Huerter could be in-play in ongoing trade discussions with the Philadelphia 76ers. 

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: One Trade To Land Ben Simmons With Hawks After Reddish Trade

Time will tell if the Atlanta Hawks will actually pull-the-trigger on a deal that would set the NBA world on fire, but if they are to make a big move at the trade deadline, it will be to trade for Ben Simmons.