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3 key moves the Atlanta Hawks need to make at the NBA Trade Deadline

The Atlanta Hawks are heading into a crucial trade deadline with the squad nowhere near the playoffs and a massive luxury tax bill looming. Time to make some moves.

By Jonathan Lurensky

Cleveland Cavaliers v Atlanta Hawks
Cleveland Cavaliers v Atlanta Hawks / Alex Slitz/GettyImages
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As the Atlanta Hawks continue to flounder in the standings, it seems like at least one trade will happen for them this season. The franchise is fighting to keep itself in the last spot in the Play-In and the idea of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young excelling together feels like a fantasy at this point. With that in mind, here are some potential veterans that could be sold off at the deadline this season.

3. De'Andre Hunter gets traded to a old foe

If the Hawks are truly looking to get out of the tough luxury situation they are currently in, one move could be to trade De'Andre Hunter to the New York Knicks for Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes and multiple draft picks. This deal would allow the Hawks to get out of the luxury tax for the foreseeable future and be able to opt for a total rebuild.

Of course, this would be a move that the Hawks would do after they traded both of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. This transaction would allow Atlanta to get into a rebuild as the team tries to recover from the dismal Young era. Yes, the Hawks would be forced to keep Fournier's contract for the rest of the season but the franchise could be able to decline his team option next season which would allow the franchise to get out of the Hunter contract with only draft picks.

The New York Knicks would likely want to do this deal as it provides the squad with an emerging role player who can still provide a lot for the franchise at the current moment. The number of first-round picks required would dip into the squad's pool of picks for a superstar but this would allow the Knicks to have a player centerpiece for any superstar deal they make this offseason.

With the amount of money that the player is owed and the Hawks' potential willingness to get under the tax, the Knicks might be able to get the up-and-coming wing for only two first-round picks. If New York were to offer the 2024 Mavs pick and 2025 Bucks pick that they are owed that should be more than enough for the Hawks.

This possible deal would allow the Knicks to keep all of their own first-round picks which in turn, the franchise could use to trade for a star in the offseason with Hunter as the base player offered in the package if he doesn't work out.

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