The Hawks are “absolutely open for business” on the trade market, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who said on Wednesday during a Q&A session on Threads that general manager Landry Fields “seems determined to make changes” to Atlanta’s roster by the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
Given that Wojnarowski’s statement is just a brief response in a Q&A session rather than a full report, he doesn’t offer any additional details on the Hawks’ plans for the deadline.
It seems relatively safe to assume that star guard Trae Young won’t be going anywhere on or before Feb. 8, and the Hawks reportedly aren’t inclined to move breakout forward Jalen Johnson. Additionally, young big man Onyeka Okongwu will be subject to the poison pill provision, making it more challenging — though certainly not impossible — to include him in a deal.
On the other hand, De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela have frequently been cited as probable trade candidates, and there has been speculation that Atlanta might be open to listening to inquiries on Dejounte Murray. It would presumably require a substantial offer for the Hawks to seriously consider moving Murray, but with the club off to a 13-19 start, this season following an underwhelming 41-41 finish in 2022-23, Fields and the front office will likely consider a wide range of possibilities.
In terms of potential trade targets, Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has frequently been linked to the Hawks. Atlanta and Toronto reportedly engaged in serious talks over the summer that ultimately didn’t lead to a deal.
The Hawks were at the center of several trade rumors during the offseason, with Caplea’s and Hunter’s names coming up frequently, but the team’s only major move on the trade market was sending John Collins to Utah in what amounted to a salary dump.
The hope was that a year after acquiring Murray, the current iteration of the Hawks could leap the same way that the Timberwolves have this season in their second year with Rudy Gobert. That hasn’t been the case in the first half though, so after those rumored offseason trades didn’t come to fruition, Atlanta may be more aggressive in trying to get deals across the finish line in the coming weeks.
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