The NBA offseason is here for every club other than the Celtics and Mavericks. The Hawks are expected to be one of the more active teams with many assuming one of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray will be dealt.
Also armed with the No. 1 overall pick, Atlanta has more than enough assets to build a postseason team around one of their All-Star point guards. Depending on who they choose to trade should dictate how the front office approaches the rest of the offseason.
A lot of the names have been floated as possible trade targets, most often it’s been Brandon Ingram. For good reason too, the Hawks and Pelicans match up very well on paper to make a deal centered around Inrgam and one of Atlanta’s guards.
Regardless of who the Hawks trade, Murray or Young, the goal should be to get better on the wings, which is why I’m confused why I don’t see a lot of hypotheticals for Mikal Bridges, who Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report dubbed Atlanta’s dream target.
“Moving either Young or Murray in a deal for Mikal Bridges would solve a lot of this team’s issues. Bridges, 27, is a premier wing defender who could help fix a Hawks defense that finished 27th overall this past season. He’d be the ideal piece to place next to Young as someone who can lock up opposing wings and play a secondary scoring role,” Greg Swartz said.
Mikal Bridges would be a perfect fit for Trae Young, especially at his price point at around $48 million over the next two seasons. Hell, if the Hawks decided to build around Murray, I’d be all for a Bridges trade as well.
Atlanta would have less than $50 million invested in Murray and Bridges, leaving them with some cap space to participate in free agency. Either scenario to go along with the No. 1 overall pick would excite me.
Where it gets tricky is the trade package needed to pry Mikal Bridges out of Brooklyn. The Nets haven’t been willing to move him yet for a reason; the price hasn’t been met.
The Hawks could certainly put together a package built around Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, one that likely includes a young piece like A.J. Griffin or Kobe Bufkin, a big man like Clint Capela or Onyeka Okongwu if the Nets don’t re-sign Nic Claxton, and draft capital.
However, Bridges is the perfect complement to both point guards, so I would be willing to move a lot for his services.
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Photographer: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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