3 trades the Atlanta Hawks can make with the No. 1 pick

The Atlanta Hawks were blessed by the lottery gods with the No. 1 pick in June's NBA Draft. That changes the calculus of Atlanta's offseason quite drastically. The possibility of trading Trae Young and Dejounte Murray has been percolating for months, but there is a difference between slamming the reset button with the No. 10 pick and slamming it with the No. 1 pick. This twist of fate could convince the front office to finally explore foundational changes.

Or, perhaps it moves the Hawks in another direction entirely. The No. 10 pick in a weak draft was never going to carry immense trade value. The No. 1 pick, though? Even without a clear-cut top prospect, the freedom of choice in the top spot is highly coveted. The Hawks could get quite a nice return if the No. 1 pick was tossed into trade conversations.

Young's future as the Hawks' franchise cornerstone is unclear. He is heavily involved in trade rumors, but he has also expressed a desire to stay — and win — in the ATL. If the Hawks decide to take the unconventional route in an unconventional draft, trading the No. 1 pick for win-now talent could improve the Hawks' standing in a winnable Eastern Conference.

The Hawks could look at the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks in the second round — both teams within striking distance of an elusive conference finals bid despite myriad flaws — and find renewed confidence in their ability to mount a deep run with the right personnel tweaks. Young has been to the conference finals before, however fluky that 2021 run feels in hindsight.

Let's say the Hawks decide to keep Trae and move off the No. 1 pick for another star. Here are a few trades that could actually work out.

Hawks trade Dejounte Murray, No. 1 pick to Jazz for Lauri Markkanen

The Utah Jazz were rumored suitors for Dejounte Murray at the trade deadline. It will take a lot to pry Lauri Markkanen away from Salt Lake City, but he's entering the final year of his contract with the potential to bolt in free agency next summer. Markkanen appears perfectly content in Utah by all indications and the Jazz can pay him the most money, but there's enough uncertainty for the Jazz to consider a move if the right godfather offer comes along.

Even in a weak draft, the No. 1 pick carries a lot of value. There would be several compelling options available to Utah, in addition to landing a solid point guard and team leader in Dejounte Murray. A potentially valuable 2029 first-round pick is gravy.

Murray needs to be the alpha somewhere. He looked great in his final season with San Antonio, when he posted a 40.6 assist percentage and was tasked with leading the offense. Utah likes to spread the wealth, but Murray would be set up as the undisputed lead ball-handler and primary shot creator for a rebuilding Jazz team. Utah can get more mileage out of Murray in that context than Atlanta can with him as the second banana.

In a dream world, Murray gets to spend the season rehabbing his image and putting up numbers before Utah recoups even more value in a separate trade deadline or offseason move. The Jazz possess an overwhelming volume of future draft picks — at some point Danny Ainge needs to commit to building out a winner — but if Markkanen is out the door, that resets Utah's competitive timeline. Patience would be key.

The Hawks, of course, bank on Markkanen as the perfect No. 2 option next to Trae Young. And perfect is the apt descriptor. Markkanen is a 7-foot wing and one of the most efficient off-ball scorers in the league, comfortable flying into movement 3s, attacking closeouts as a straight-line driver, or making himself available on timely cuts. He would feast on a steady stream of setup passes from Young. He won't fix the Hawks' defense, but honestly, Murray has been more of a weakness than a strength in that department, despite his reputation. Markkanen's size and versatility won't hurt.

Hawks trade No. 1 pick, Dejounte Murray for LaMelo Ball

Let him (me) cook!

This is admittedly outside the box, but tell me you wouldn't like to see it. I am betting on LaMelo Ball over the No. 1 pick in this year's draft every day of the week, twice on Sunday. The Charlotte Hornets get to reorient its rebuild around Brandon Miller, while the Brooklyn Nets land an All-Star point guard and purge themselves of Ben Simmons. Tell me this doesn't benefit all sides on some level.

When theorizing about potential co-stars for Trae Young, LaMelo Ball has never really been part of the discourse. That said, it's not a terrible concept. The Dejounte Murray dual-PG experiment fell flat, but Murray and Ball are drastically different "point guards." Ball is 6-foot-7, for starters. He's also far less ball-dominant — a brilliant outlet passer and razor-sharp connector who processes the game at a high speeds and keeps the ball popping.

If there's a major weakness in Ball's game, it's his lack of efficiency as a go-to scorer. He doesn't finish well at the rim and he's limited in terms of self-creation. He's at his best bombing deep 3s, decisively attacking closeouts, and promoting ball movement. He can fulfill that connector role next to Trae Young, giving the Hawks two high-wattage, genius-level creators who manipulate and exploit defenses in different ways. LaMelo can also hold down the fort in non-Trae minutes as needed.

The Hornets get the No. 1 pick this summer (to go along with their own pick at No. 6), a fun flier on Cam Thomas, and a potentially juicy top-eight protected Sixers pick in 2027. Brandon Miller takes over as the official centerpiece on that rebuild and new head coach Charles Lee gets to wipe the slate clean a bit. LaMelo is an awesome talent, but the weight of failed expectations has accrued. He's hurt all the time, and he's not necessarily the pitch-perfect Brandon Miller running mate.

Brooklyn adds some much-needed playmaking with Murray, who would ease the burden on Mikal Bridges considerably. If the Nets are serious about contending with the current group, this is the sort of low-cost move that could provide a significant return on investment. If it all goes south, well, Murray can recoup more than a first-round pick and Cam Thomas in a future trade, ideally.

Hawks trade Dejounte Murray, No. 1 pick to Spurs for Devin Vassell

There have been rumblings about Trae Young going to the San Antonio Spurs, but we have also heard about the Spurs potentially preferring a Dejounte Murray reunion. He actually played defense when he was with the Spurs and Murray has spoken multiple times about his bone-deep affection for Gregg Popovich, who clearly had a profound impact on his career.

The Spurs need a point guard and could prefer the slightly cheaper Murray compared to Young, who comes with his share of postseason question marks and ego concerns. This is an admittedly wonky trade concept, but the basic principle is simple. The Spurs opt for immediate star-power next to Victor Wembanyama and consolidate their two lottery picks into the No. 1 spot. Kobe Bufkin, the Hawks' first-round pick from last summer, is a nice throw-in.

The Hawks opt for two mid-lotto picks in a weak draft (better value than the No. 1 pick, to be frank) and land Devin Vassell, who is four years younger than Murray and a far superior fit next to Trae Young in the Hawks' backcourt. Vassell's defense was underwhelming this past season, but he's still 6-foot-5 with loooong arms and a beautiful pull-up jumper. He would look quite good playing off of Trae Young, and the Hawks get the chance to add two affordable, team-controlled prospects with high upside.

San Antonio would need to be convinced of Murray's long-term utility next to Victor Wembanyama, but that shouldn't be too much of a concern. Murray is at his best when he's the featured ball-handler, and Wemby needs a source of easy setups around the rim. The two-man actions and pick-and-rolls would prove fruitful, and perhaps Murray unlocks his prior All-Star form in a more comfortable environment.

As an added bonus, the Spurs get their favorite prospect on the board — whomever that may be — without competition. Whether it's another Frenchman in Alex Sarr or Zaccharie Risacher, or the Spurs opt for point guard help in the form of Nikola Topic, the No. 1 pick offers unbeatable optionality.