The Atlanta Hawks could be looking to rid themselves of two unwanted cap-space-hogging assets in point guard Dennis Schroder and small forward Kent Bazemore. Schroder is owed $46.5 million until 2021 and Bazemore upward of $37 million through 2020, which could prove rather difficult to move due to the long-term commitment.
The Hawks have made Schroder available in trade talks, but it could prove rather difficult to convince a team into taking him due to his reputation.
Per Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated:
“Atlanta has explored moving Schröder, but league sources say his off-court behavior and general attitude have made him harder to trade, despite the fact he’s entering his prime years at age 24.”
Atlanta is trying to move into the second spot in the draft to snatch European wonder Luka Doncic, but it's unlikely that the Sacramento Kings, who own the pick, will want a point guard to start over their evolving cog in De'Aaron Fox, who they drafted last year.
They could use a player like Bazemore, an agile wing with good defensive instincts and decent shooting ability, fitting the modern NBA's three-and-D mold, shooting 39.4 percent from deep and racking up 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game at a mere 6-foot-5.
If the Hawks prioritize unloading assets, they could have more options by moving down in the draft and trading with the Dallas Mavericks for the fifth pick or with the Orlando Magic for the sixth, able to get the likes of point guard Trae Young (if they can unload Schroder) or 7-foot-1 center Mo Bamba.
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