The Atlanta Hawks reportedly want to trade up in the 2023 NBA Draft, and they have a very specific player in mind they are hoping to land in Thursday’s event.
The Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of what could be a major shift this offseason. After the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals two years ago they have had back-to-back letdowns the last two seasons.
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It led to head coach Nate McMillan’s firing during the season, and a bunch of changes throughout the front office. It’s hard to gauge what the Atlanta Hawks will do this offseason but the last couple of weeks have been filled with rumors of them at least trying to shake up their roster ahead of next season. Including a recent report that every player on the roster except for Trae Young could be had in a trade.
While they try and make some moves in the trade market, they will have the chance to add an impact player on June 22 when they are on the clock at 15 during the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft. However, in recent days it has been reported that the organization has been in talks with the Dallas Mavericks about a deal that could include John Collins and a swap of first-round selections.
Atlanta Hawks (’22-’23) record: 41-41
If the Atlanta Hawks want to move up to Dallas’ pick at 10, many have wondered who the team is looking at that is worth moving up several spots for. Well, on Monday some clarity came to that question via veteran NBA insider Marc Stein.
In a new newsletter, Stein dropped some news in regards to Thursday’s NBA Draft, and that was the fact that Duke big man Dereck Lively has been rising high up draft boards and is seen as a top 10 pick due to his potential to be a player similar to New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks veteran Tyson Chandler.
He also revealed that the Atlanta Hawks are “known to be interested and known to be discussing trades with Dallas that would move the Hawks up from the 15th pick to No. 10,” in the hopes of selecting Lively on Thursday night.
During his 19 seasons in the NBA, Tyson Chandler was an elite rim protector and rebounder. He was an All-Star once and earned All-NBA defensive honors on three occasions. He was also a key part of the Dallas Mavericks championship run in 2011.