Should Atlanta look to the trade market to try and find their backup center?
The offseason is here for 22 teams in the NBA. The conference semifinals have begun and there are only eight teams left alive with hopes of making it to the ultimate goal of winning a championship. The Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers are all searching for the next steps to take as a franchise, which is different for all three.
Atlanta is going to be a team worth watching. Most will point to a potential Trae Young trade, but that does not appear likely (for now) and Atlanta may move forward with this core of Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu. If the Hawks decide to do that, they need to improve their bench in a big way this offseason. Due to the NBA’s CBA and apron rules, you are going to be seeing a lot more three-team trades between teams so salaries can move around. Atlanta could try to attach themselves to a big deal and add some pieces to their bench if they opt to move forward with this starting five. The Hawks need interior defense, frontcourt depth, and shooting. This is not a great free agent class to be filling those needs, so could the Hawks look to the trade market?
The Lakers are always going to be among the most talked about teams in the league, but that is especially going to be true now that they have Luka Doncic. A lot of the talk is going to be around the Lakers trying to get a center to put around Doncic and LeBron James, which was a clear weakness for them in their postseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Los Angeles looked like they had a trade for Hornets center Mark Williams, but was rescinded due to a physical. You can bet that the Lakers are going to be looking for a huge upgrade at the center position, but a big question will be if it will cost them star guard Austin Reaves in the process.
Portland could be a sneaky team to watch. Most don’t know, but the Blazers were actually a compotent team over the final few months of the season and seemingly found an identity with their defense. The reason they are so interesting is that they have a ton of young players, but they may not all fit together, particularly at center. Portland has Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, and last year’s first round pick Donovan Clingan at center and from the way it looked at the end of the year, Portland might be ready for Clingan to take over at center.
So how about a trade where each of these teams tries to fill a need?
It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks should do or will do. That is all.
Atlanta receives: Robert Williams III
Lakers Receive: Deandre Ayton and Matisse Thybulle
Portland Receives: Jarred Vanderbilt, Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent, 2027 2nd round pick (From ATL via CLE), 2029 2nd round pick (From ATL via CLE), and an unprotected 2031 1st round pick (via LAL)
Why Atlanta does this trade: Going into next season, Atlanta has only one real center on the roster in Onyeka Okongwu and he showed this past season he is ready to be the center for the franchise. However, there is no depth behind him and the Hawks defense fell apart later in the year when he left the court. When healthy, Williams is one of the best defensive players in the NBA and even in just a backup role, he could improve the Hawks defense when Okongwu leaves the floor. He only has one more year left on his contract and it would not cost much to attain him.
Why Atlanta does not do this trade: Williams is attainable at a low price for a reason and it is because he has always struggled to stay healthy. Williams did not play in many games this season and has only played more than 52 games only once in his career. For a Hawks team that needs to stay healthy next season, that might not be an appealing option, even at a low price. If Atlanta did want to trade for Williams, they need to prioritize finding a reliable third center for when Williams has to miss games.
Why Los Angeles does this trade: They get a talented center who fills a big need. While Ayton has not lived up to his No. 1 pick status, he is a solid player who would benefit from playing next to Doncic and James in Los Angeles. The Lakers need a big presence in the middle and Ayton would fill that. Thybulle would give the Lakers a point-of-attack defender they need.
Why Los Angeles does not do this trade: Ayton is a polarizing player who is not for every team. While Ayton is a solid threat on offense and on the boards, he is not an excellent defender and rim protector, which is something the Lakers need. Offensively, this should be a fit, but it would be interesting to see how they get this to fit on defense. He is also on an expiring contract and if the Lakers give up a first-round pick for him, they would almost certainly re-sign him. Is he worth another contract? Thybulle is a good defender but is a near zero on offense.
Why the Blazers do this trade: They are ready to turn things over at center and see if Clingan is the guy for this team moving forward. Portland took a chance on Ayton when Phoenix traded him, but it has not quite worked out. Williams can’t stay healthy and it would probably be best to move on from him. The Blazers need shooting on this team and Knecht would help in a big way. Vincent and Kleber are expiring contracts that Portland can either try to move at the deadline next February or just keep for depth. They add draft capital. Portland has enough good defenders that they can afford to lose Thybulle.
Why the Blazers don’t do this: Portland is probably the beneficiary of this trade and the only reason they don’t do this is they don’t like the compensation. Vanderbilt is still under contract for three years and might not be appealing to Portland, while Vincent and Kleber likely don’t help much. Knecht is a good shooter but is a pretty poor defender. Still, with both Ayton and Williams on expiring deal and Clingan waiting, this seems like a good deal for the Blazers.
Is this trade likely? Maybe not, but it fills needs for each team at a reasonable cost. Let’s see what the offseason brings.