Report: Hawks offered No. 3 pick to Cavaliers on draft night
By Jason Patt
The Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers talked trade on draft night, but nothing came to fruition and the Hawks traded with the Dallas Mavericks instead.
The Atlanta Hawks made a big splash on draft night by dealing Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks for Trae Young and a protected 2019 first-round pick. But before that deal was consummated, the Hawks talked to the Cleveland Cavaliers about a possible trade, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
Atlanta reportedly offered Cleveland the No. 3 pick and Kent Bazemore. The Cavaliers held steady at No. 8 and took point guard Collin Sexton, and player they wanted and a guy who has impressed at the Las Vegas Summer League.
On the surface, it’s easy to criticize the Cavaliers for passing on a chance at Doncic, or whomever they were interested in at No. 3. However, the situation was complicated and we don’t know what other parts were discussed in the deal.
Bazemore is owed over $18 million next season and has a $19.27 million player option for 2019-20, which he will almost certainly exercise. The Cavaliers would have had to match salaries because of their cap situation. One can assume Kevin Love wasn’t on the table, but George Hill would have been an option. Hill is owed $19 million next season and could earn $18 million in 2019-20, but only $1 million of that 2019-20 salary is guaranteed. That would have been attractive for the Hawks, but the Cavaliers may not have wanted to ditch that flexibility while taking on Bazemore’s money.
Furthermore, Cleveland owes Atlanta its 2019 first-round pick because of the Kyle Korver trade, but it’s top-10 protected. The Hawks may have asked the Cavaliers to remove those protections, which would have been a risk with LeBron James gone and Cleveland potentially in line for a high pick if it opts for a full rebuild or if things go poorly next season.
Next: Every NBA team's worst iteration ever
There’s also the matter of the Mavericks’ offer that ultimately got the job done. Atlanta clearly wanted Young, and he may not have lasted until No. 8. Even if the Hawks and Cavaliers got close to a deal, the Dallas offer with the No. 5 pick may simply have trumped what Cleveland offered.
Some Cavaliers fans may think they should have done anything to get this trade done, but so far Sexton looks like a solid consolation prize. The Alabama product just put up 25 points and seven assists in his most recent Summer League game, and Cleveland is hoping he’ll be a cornerstone of the post-LeBron era.