The Atlanta Hawks engineered the first blockbuster trade of the NBA season this week, sending Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. This is one of the most depressing trades in a while, but it needed to be done. Now, Atlanta pivots toward trying to build a contender around Jalen Johnson.
Anthony Davis is on Atlanta’s radar, per multiple reports, but a new wrist injury could sideline him through the Feb. 5 trade deadline and complicate the Hawks’ interest. Should Atlanta opt against a pursuit of the former NBA champ, these high-profile trade targets could be worth a phone call for GM Onsi Saleh.
Hawks can trade for Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen
The Utah Jazz once again appear inclined to keep Lauri Markkanen, who struck up a five-year contract extension in 2024. But all it takes is the right offer to flip the script, as Utah remains years away from meaningfully contending in the Western Conference. The Jazz are right to hold out for max value for their best player, and Will Hardy clearly aims to put a competitive team on the floor every night. But we can be realistic about where this team stands.
Markkanen should fit like a glove with this Hawks roster, giving Atlanta a 7-foot sharpshooting wing to complement Johnson. There are few more polished off-ball scorers in the NBA right now. Markkanen is incredibly adept at moving without the basketball and attacking seams in the defense without domineering possessions. He has great size for his position; in many ways, he’s the anti-Trae Young.
The Hawks won’t get him for cheap, especially with 3.5 years of control, but Markkanen is in the prime of his career and worth a significant return package. Kristaps Porzingis is the easiest means to an end when it comes to Hawks blockbuster trades; his $30 million in expiring money gives Utah even more flexibility next summer. Meanwhile, Zaccharie Risacher should benefit significantly from Utah’s patient, slow-burn player development approach.
Toss in a few first-round picks — a 2026 pick by way of Cleveland and Atlanta’s unprotected 2029 and 2031 selections, both intriguing mystery boxes — and this should be enough to get Utah to the negotiating table. Other teams will place their bids, meaning Atlanta may need to stretch even further, but this is a strong starting point for negotiations, especially if the Jazz believe in Risacher whatsoever.
Hawks can trade for Bulls guard Coby White
CJ McCollum is a suitable stopgap at point guard, but the Hawks could prefer a more sustainable Trae Young replacement. Coby White hits free agency at season’s end, but the Hawks ought to extend him without much fuss for well below a max contract. The Chicago Bulls’ offense is night-and-day better with White on the floor this season — +8.5 points per 100 possessions, to be precise. Billy Donovan runs a lot through White, but he’s equally adept spotting up off the ball and attacking closeouts. There’s a lot to like here.
White is nowhere near the playmaker that Young is, but he’s an explosive scoring guard with a proficient pull-up jumper and plenty of twitchy athleticism on drives to the cup. Surround him with defensive guards like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels, and White’s weaknesses should be well-mitigated, while his strengths are accentuated by Atlanta’s mix of quality shooters and passers.
Now, is this enough to pry White out of Chicago? Maybe not, but it’s a worthwhile starting point. White feels like a good candidate to sign elsewhere in free agency, as the Bulls backcourt has its share of mouths to feed already. Luke Kennard can fill in and provide plenty of value in a bench role short term, while a mid-first round pick (especially in this draft) carries plenty of value for the Bulls. If the Hawks need to add more draft capital, or toss in another young player to grease the wheels on a trade, that shouldn’t be too difficult a hurdle to overcome.
Hawks can trade for Nets forward Michael Porter Jr.
When the Brooklyn Nets acquired Michael Porter Jr. last summer, the move was met with serious skepticism, if not quite ridicule. Prying away Denver’s unprotected 2032 first-round pick was a huge deal, no doubt, but Cam Johnson has been so much better than Porter these past couple years. It felt like the Nets were really leaning into the tank.
That was, in fact, the plan, but Porter has a lot of newfound respect around the league as we begin 2026. He has stepped up in the featured role for Brooklyn, scoring with extreme efficiency on the perimeter while pouring far more effort into rebounding and defense than we ever saw in Denver. Porter made it clear when the trade happened that he was excited to take more shots and carry a heavier load. He has delivered on those grand statements with aplomb.
Now, we can expect the Nets to parlay Porter’s success into another trade haul. Porter has one more year left on his deal after this season, giving the Hawks the potential for two playoff runs with Porter on the roster before he has the option to leave. Fit-wise, much like Markkanen, Porter offers size, shooting and ancillary skills on the wing next to Johnson. It’s an exciting step up from the Risacher experience.
The Hawks can reroute McCollum’s expiring contract from the Young trade, affording the Nets a tremendous amount of financial flexibility next offseason — always helpful in a big market. Brooklyn also squeezes the Hawks for a few first-round picks. Given the lingering concerns over Porter’s commitment to winning in a more refined role, not to mention his grating off-court persona, this should be enough push a deal across the finish line.
Hawks can trade for Lakers guard Austin Reaves
With LeBron James on the verge of retirement and Austin Reaves on the verge of free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers are approaching an inflection point in the Luka Dončić era. This is a good team as is, but the Lakers are not a championship contender. Their defense simply isn’t good enough: It’s hard for L.A. to generate stops with all three of their big three on the floor together. Even when isolated, the Dončić-Reaves backcourt has more than its share of issues.
Now, Dončić and Reaves is also one of the most electric offensive duos in the sport, so there are pros and cons. One can’t help but wonder if the Lakers just ride it out, let LeBron exit stage left and then attempt to build a sturdier defensive roster around the remaining two in 2026-27. That is a viable option, especially if the Lakers see any path to re-upping Reaves for less than the max.
If the Lakers opt to sell high and abort the Dončić-Reaves experiment, however, the Hawks are a ripe trade partner in lieu of Young. Reaves is a far more efficient scorer right now, applying constant pressure on the rim while dishing out 6.3 assists per game and hitting 36.5 percent of his 3s. Reaves won’t come cheap, but Atlanta has the defensive infrastructure to accommodate him — and the offensive personnel to benefit immensely from his presence.
This trade features quite a few moving parts and gets real complicated, real fast, so don’t bet your life savings on it. But Porzingis is a massive defensive upgrade in the Lakers frontcourt (at least on paper). He’s also an expiring contract, meaning that, if LeBron retires, L.A. suddenly has a ton of cap space to wield in free agency. Porzingis famously butted heads with Dončić during their shared Mavs tenure, but Porzingis has since matured — as has Dončić. This feels like a classic "let bygones be bygones" situation, because this evolved version of Porzingis is one heck of a fit next to the Lakers’ superstar.
L.A. also offloads Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, both of whom would take on significant roles in Atlanta — Hachimura probably starting on the wing, with Ayton as Onyeka Okongwu’s backup at the five. The Lakers receive Asa Newell, Atlanta’s 2026 first-round pick and a voracious rebounder in the frontcourt, with enough spot-up shooting and rim-running utility to thrive next to Dončić. Also coming over is Vit Krejci, a tall playmaking wing currently sinking 44.9 percent of his 3s on career-high volume.
Hawks can trade for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo
All signs point to the Milwaukee Bucks keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo through the trade deadline, but who are we kidding? Milwaukee’s season is on a grim path and it’s unclear if a “big trade,” whether it’s Zach LaVine, Michael Porter Jr. or another third-rate star, is really enough to put the Bucks back in the contenders circle. In fact, an ill-advised Hail Mary could leave them in an even deeper hole.
If the next few weeks turn south, however, and Milwaukee at least opens the door to a Giannis trade, the Hawks are in prime position. Atlanta owns the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s first-round picks this season (on track to be a potential top-three selection) and the least favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s picks in 2027. If the Bucks want a little bit more control over their immediate draft future — to potentially begin the post-Giannis era with Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa — the Hawks give them a real shot.
It will require more than a haul of picks, of course. The Bucks also take on Porzingis’ expiring contract to help match salaries; he could be rerouted to a third team, bringing even more assets to Milwaukee. The Bucks also receive Alexander-Walker, a stout perimeter defender averaging a career-high 20.5 points on career-high 57.9 percent true shooting, and Risacher, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick.
This is a really nice foundation to build upon. Alexander-Walker is locked up for a few years; he can put up big numbers next to Ryan Rollins in the backcourt and potentially return big trade value down the road. Risacher has struggled to live up to expectations in his sophomore campaign, but he’s still a proficient shooter with strong instincts and a seemingly bright future. The Bucks can ease the immediate pressure on him while also giving Risacher the freedom for trial and error on the court.
Meanwhile, the Hawks get a top-three player in the world and pair Giannis with Johnson, Daniels, Okongwu and McCollum to form one of the lankiest and most dynamic two-way lineups in the NBA.