Hawks 'explored' trade opportunities for former top-five pick

As we draw closer to the 2023 NBA Draft, teams around the Association are gearing up for a hectic evening that will surely feature significant activity on the trade market. 

According to multiple reports, the Atlanta Hawks have engaged in trade discussions ahead of Thursday's draft. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman went a step further, stating in his latest mock draft that the Hawks "have explored" trade scenarios involving former No. 4 overall pick De'Andre Hunter.

Wasserman explains that the move would allow 2022 first-rounder AJ Griffin, who averaged 8.9 points per game as a rookie, to receive more playing time. 

"League sources say the Atlanta Hawks have explored the idea of trading De'Andre Hunter with AJ Griffin needing more playing time," Wasserman wrote. "Any deal may affect [their No. 15] pick, but Cason Wallace would give the Hawks a different look from Trae Young and Dejounte Murray with his more controlled pace and defense." 

Hunter, 25, hasn't lived up to the expectations of being the 3-and-D wing he was projected to be coming out of Virginia. For his career, he has shot just 35.6% from beyond the arc while averaging only 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. 

Last October, Atlanta inked Hunter to a four-year, $95 million deal, which kicks in next season. The move signaled that the Hawks were all-in on their core after mortgaging their future to acquire All-Star guard Dejounte Murray. 

However, just one season into the experiment, where they finished 41-41, the Hawks are likely experiencing buyer's remorse, and trading Hunter would be a wise idea to recoup some assets. 

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported last week that the Hawks and Pacers discussed multiple potential deals ahead of February's trade deadline. One proposal that came up in conversation would have sent Chris Duarte and draft compensation to Atlanta in exchange for Hunter. 

Although it's worth noting that Indiana held five 2023 selections at that time (Nos. 7, 26, 29, 32 and 55) and traded picks 29 and 32 to Denver on Wednesday. Despite those selections no longer being on the table, ESPN's Brian Windhorst mentioned on his podcast that Indiana inquired about trading the seventh pick for a "high-level wing player."

Perhaps Atlanta considers pursuing the seventh pick by packaging Hunter and its 15th overall selection to land a more talented prospect. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said Tuesday that such a scenario might unfold but noted that John Collins and potentially Murray could get dealt instead of Hunter. 

Atlanta believed it would be a perennial championship contender after a promising run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 but has been mediocre since. If it truly has faith in its backcourt pairing, offloading Hunter would be necessary to provide some flexibility to build around their two All-Stars.