The Atlanta Hawks were a team with aspirations of making a leap in 2023-24. They've made the playoffs through the play-in tournament in each of the last two seasons, but the expectation during Quin Snyder's first full season as coach was for the Hawks to advance to the postseason outright.
Atlanta has fallen well short of that ope thus far, with an 11-15 record on the season, good for 11th in the Eastern Conference—just outside range of the play-in. Thei Hawks' net rating is -0.2 points per 100 possessions, slotting them at 21st in the NBA. This team needs some help, and the front office knows it.
Recent reports have indicated Atlanta is a potential trade suitor for the Toronto Raptors' Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby. But those two aren't the only ones the Hawks will have their eyes on. The Hawks also could be interested in Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz if he;s made available before the trade deadline, per to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports.
Granted, the Jazz are reportedly ‘by no means expected to trade [Markkanen] at this juncture,' but Markkanen is apparently not ‘untouchable.' Atlanta could really use a forward who can finish from all over the floor, create for himself and defend at the rim and on the perimeter. The question then becomes: What is a Hawks trade for Lauri Markkanen that makes sense for both sides?
Jazz get: De'Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin, Kobe Bufkin, two unprotected first-round picks (2024 and 2029) and 2030 first-round pick swap
Hawks get: Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn
Why the Hawks do it
The Hawks don't need much help offensively; they already boast the fourth-best offense in the NBA behind only the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks. While De'Andre Hunter is shooting a scalding 40.9% from three this season, they'd be upgrading on offense even more than what they're getting from Hunter.
But the Hawks could use more size and versatility defensively. Hunter is a great defensive player but there is some overlap with him and guys like Saddiq Bey and Jalen Johnson, the latter of whom has established himself as the the franchise's top building block at forward.
Markkanen has played some center for the Jazz this season and some small forward. The Hawks could throw out big lineups with he Bey and either Capela or Okongwu to help Trae Young defensively, or they could go small with Markkanen at center to best unlock Johnson as a pick-and-roll screener.
Kris Dunn is no small throw-in, either. Dunn is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and could be paired with Dejounte Murray in certain lineups to completely pester opposing guards. If Atlanta wants to help the fourth-worst defense in the NBA, adding Markkanen's size and versatility as well as Dunn would be a nice step towards doing so.
Why the Jazz do it
The main argument for the Jazz to trade Markkanen is to move him while his value is at an all-time high. Markkanen wasn't some throw-in when Utah acquired him from Cleveland in the trade for Donovan Mitchell, but he wasn't an All-Star until he arrived and thrived in Utah.
Now, he's 26, in the second-to-last year of his current contract and on a team that has no chance to win at a high level in the immediate future. If there were a time for the Jazz to trade Markkanen, it would be now.
Utah would be getting some really nice pieces to help with its rebuild, too.
Keyonte George has been playing point guard for the Jazz, and they could use more young talent like Bufkin to pair with him in the backcourt. Danny Ainge and company also were reportedly fans of Bufkin before the draft and could now have a second chance at acquiring him. AJ Griffin also oozes potential as a developmental wing who profiles, at the very least, as a three-and-D player who has the skillset to do more with the ball.
The Hawks don't have as many picks to spend as a result of their trade for Murray, but the Jazz probably could find one more for Hunter if they so desired. There are probably better trade packages for Markkanen out there, but this one is more than satisfactory for the Jazz.
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