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The Atlanta Hawks have been linked to Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam in trade talks since the time of the 2023 NBA Draft. However, rather than acquiring Siakam, the Hawks need to be focused on Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, swooping in on the All-NBA wing if he and the Celtics have difficulties coming to an agreement on a contract extension.
Up to this point, the news coming out of Boston about Brown largely paints a promising picture of his future with the franchise. However, it also appears as if the Celtics are trying to find every avenue possible to cut down their potential financial obligations to Brown.
Although frugal franchises are not rare in the NBA, it frankly doesn't often take months for organizations to sign player to max contract extensions. In fact, those agreements are often reached shortly after a player becomes eligible for one, bringing an ugly truth about Brown and the Celtics into sharp relief.
Ultimately, if Boston really is having qualms about paying Brown the full max, Atlanta has at least a sliver of a realistic chance to take him off their hands.
Neither he nor Siakam or exactly the greatest ball-movers and would be play-finishers more than playmakers. Nonetheless, Siakam is on the final year of his contract and making no promises about re-signing with the team that trades for him. A player that would likely demand a max contract in free agency anyways, paying that amount to a younger and more productive player (and one that has roots in the Atlanta area) is simply a wiser decision.
The real question is what it would take to complete a sign-and-trade that brings Brown to the Hawks.
1 trade Hawks still must target…
In trading for Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, every player except face of the franchise Trae Young would likely be on the table.
The options
As the Celtics have a pair of B-grade guards in Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon available, they may opt to focus on building their frontcourt. Especially with only Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis guaranteed to have starting roles. However, whether it's a starting wing, a starting guard, or a starting big man, the Celtics will require at least one starter in return.
That player may not be Hawks center Clint Capela, given the redundancy in skillsets between he and Celtics center Robert Williams III. Yet, due to the latter's injury history, Boston may actually want another shot-blocker and rim-runner on the roster.
Hawks forwards De'Andre Hunter and Saddiq Bey are a couple of starting-level frontcourt pieces. However, Boston will have to believe that they can make a greater impact than Williams or Al Horford, regardless of how their contributions measure up to Brown's.
Ultimately, Hawks guard Dejounte Murray may be their most talented trade chip. Yet, Atlanta just signed Murray to a contract extension.
The trade
The best sign-and-trade between the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics could see Atlanta send forward De'Andre Hunter, forward Saddiq Bey and guard Kobe Bufkin to Boston in exchange for wing Jaylen Brown (and guard Payton Pritchard, if needed for salary matching).
Hunter, the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, averaged a career-high regular season scoring average of 15.4 points per game last season. More importantly, he notched a career-high postseason scoring average of 21.2 points per game in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. While Brown is certainly a more formidable scorer, Hunter scores at an impressive rate when he's aggressive.
Bey is likely a player that the Hawks would rather keep after acquiring him from the Detroit Pistons last February. However, between Hunter and Bey, the Celtics will have made up for what Brown brings from a production standpoint. Bey averaged 13.8 points per game in 2022-23 but has had at least one 30-point game every season, including a career-high 51-point outing in 2021-22.
Bufkin, who the Hawks selected with the 15th overall pick in 2023 NBA Draft, will bolster a Celtics backcourt that will be feeling the effects of Marcus Smart's absence. Though Bufkin is far from refined, he offers a blend of playmaking, scoring upside and defensive potential that Boston lacks in their second unit backcourt otherwise.
What it means for the Hawks
If the Atlanta Hawks complete this trade without surrendering either Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, they will have built a legitimate Big 3.
Brown averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 assists per game last season on his way to his first All-NBA selection, consistently proving himself to be an upper echelon isolation scorer. Although his ball-handling came under fire in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, not only is it notable that Brown sustained a significant hand injury prior to the postseason when assessing his play but it's also noteworthy that he might have fewer ball-handling responsibilities playing alongside Young and Murray anyways.
In any case, Brown arrives in Atlanta as their second-best scorer behind Young and perhaps their second-best perimeter defender behind Murray, in essence making him their second option.
The trickle-down effect
Trading away both De'Andre Hunter and Saddiq Bey does bring into question who the Hawks will start at power forward. However, between stretch-big Mouhamed Gueye and the athletic Jalen Johnson, Atlanta might already have the right man for the job.
Given the capabilities of the defense following this trade, having shot-blocker Clint Capela retain his starting spot is optional. To that point, Onyeka Okongwu will be a better fit for a switch-heavy defense while stretching the floor enough on the offensive end to create extra pockets for their drivers and slashers.
Ultimately, the Hawks will end up as a better team after this deal, even after trading away a couple of key players. For one, having a star scorer can trump having multiple starting-caliber scorers. Secondly, in clearing up their frontcourt logjam, players like Gueye and Johnson get their opportunity improve the team's defense.
