The Atlanta Hawks surprised the NBA last season with their run to the Eastern Conference Finals. They have been going through a rebuild for the last few years. After their all-around squad in 2015, where they had four All-Stars, they have not had much success in the regular season or in the playoffs. However, with the arrival of Trae Young, and some smart trades and signings, the Hawks are now a force. Regardless, there are some potential Hawks trade candidates that can make them even better.

They are seriously lacking in some areas, mostly in the small forward position. The Hawks also need a lot of inside scoring. John Collins and Clint Capela are great pieces, but they are not going to provide much in that department for the Hawks. If the Hawks want to take it to the next level, they really need to consider strengthening their squad over the next few months in these areas.

Here are two potential trade candidates for the Hawks – Harrison Barnes and Pascal Siakam!

Hawks trade candidates

Harrison Barnes

Barnes has not been enjoying his time away from the Golden State Warriors. After winning a ring with the franchise in 2015, he was largely blamed for the loss in 2016. Additionally, he was then sacrificed for the arrival of Kevin Durant. Afterwards, the highlight or lowlight of his career was being traded in the middle of an NBA game, which happened in February of 2019.

While Barnes is not the perfect player, he would do wonders for the Hawks. In a potential line-up with Young, Bogdanovic, Collins, and Capela, he would bring additional shooting and a defensive body in the small forward position. While there is already some quality in that position in the Hawks roster, none of these players are of starting quality.

With the current Kings forward, the Hawks are getting two valuable things – consistency and experience. It is sometimes underestimated how Barnes is a consistent scorer and contributor for his teams ever since his Warriors stint ended. After leaving the Dubs, Barnes is averaging 17.1 points on 45.5% field goal shooting and 37.7% from behind the arc. Those are solid numbers and he can grow into a solid third option on the Hawks.

Additionally, this is a player that has been through a lot, both positive and negative. As it was said above, Barnes was partially blamed for the 2016 NBA Finals loss of the Warriors, but that was due to his poor shooting. He was still a good defender and that speaks volumes about his abilities. Still, going to two NBA finals in his career is a valuable experience for a young Hawks team that is looking to get there as soon as possible. Also, Barnes would be traded from the Kings, meaning that he would probably cost less, due to the absolute dysfunctionality of the Sacramento franchise.

Pascal Siakam

It is easy to say that this is unrealistic – it is. Siakam is clearly in the Toronto long-term plans so it would take a good argument to take him away from the Canadian franchise. However, the Hawks with Siakam as a second option would be an amazing team, and if Siakam can see that, he might even force his way out. His inside scoring would add a new dimension to the Hawks offense since most of it is based on Young, Bogdanovic, and Huerter scoring from the perimeter.

Right now, the Hawks are relying on Collins to be a reliable offensive option. Collins got a huge extension that will keep him in Atlanta until 2025-26. However, it is clear that Collins, unless he revamps his game or adds some strength, cannot be a second option. Let's get one thing straight – the Hawks got to where they were last year through the pure genius of Young, some luck with poor form of their opposition, and a joint effort of the whole team.

However, in the modern NBA, that is simply not sustainable. Stars win games and that is what the Hawks need. It would be difficult to imagine Bradley Beal next to Young since they are fairly similar. With Siakam, however, there is a credible threat of an inside scorer who could fill up the bucket at any point in time.

Just like Barnes, although less of, Siakam has relevant NBA experience. With the squad of the Hawks being as is, NBA finals experience would do wonders for them. His overall presence will give a boost for the whole team, but it would mean some difficulties as well. Siakam would need to be second fiddle, next to Young, but he was not the first star for the Raptors in 2019 as well. Additionally, Collins would probably need to move to the bench, or play alongside Siakam in some capacity.

Of course, there would be an adjustment period, but the strengths definitely outweigh the weaknesses of this move.

The Hawks, even with their Cinderella-like run last season, still need help. While they have a supremely talented roster, the experience of Barnes and the inside presence of Siakam would make them that much better.