NBA Trade Rumors: B/R Ranks The Top Three Trade Targets For The Atlanta Hawks This Offseason

Unfortunately for the Atlanta Hawks, the offseason has arrived. After failing to beat the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament on Friday night, the Atlanta Hawks begin the process of trying to figure out how to upgrade their roster and end a two-year playoff draught.

This was a mostly successful season for the Hawks, even if they did not make the playoffs. This was a young team that had a lot of unknowns heading into the season, but a lot of those questions got answered. Dyson Daniels was the perfect backcourt teammate with Trae Young and showed why he is one of the best defenders in the league while improving by leaps and bounds on offense. Zaccharie Risacher showed continued improvement and was one of the best rookies in the NBA this season. Onyeka Okongwu took over as the starting center and showed that he could hold that position for the Hawks, while Jalen Johnson looked like an All-Star. If Johnson had not suffered a season-ending injury, as well as Larry Nance and Clint Capela getting injured, the Hawks might have been a top-six seed in the East.

A lot of talk is going to center around Trae Young and his future this offseason, but there is a very real chance they bring him back and continue to build the bench depth and hope this starting five takes a leap next season.

If the Hawks do opt to try and make some trades, who could they target? Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley listed two intriguing names for the Hawks, as well as a way to compile assets:

1. Indiana Pacers forward Benedict Mathurin:

"If the Hawks are adding talent this offseason—to play with or without Young—they should focus on finding young players with room to grow their games.

That description fits Bennedict Mathurin pretty well. The third-year pro has already established himself as a solid scoring swingman who can hold his own in one-on-one defensive matchups, but he might have another level or two to climb if he handled a more prominent offensive role than the Pacers have given him.

He'd be an asset in the open court for Atlanta, which played at the third-fastest pace this season, per NBA.com. He is a skilled scorer when he's attacking downhill and a good enough shooter to pepper in shots from the corner.

And since he has both an established floor and untapped potential, he's someone who could make sense for Atlanta regardless what it plans to do with Young."

2. Rockets Guard Jalen Green

"If the second-seeded Rockets are sent packing sooner than expected, then major changes in Space City shouldn't be ruled out. Houston obviously made tremendous progress this season, but it might still require an offensive superstar to put itself on a championship path.

If the Rockets go big-game hunting, they'll probably part with young talent in the process, and Jalen Green seems like the best player at risk of being squeezed out. He's an effortlessly explosive athlete with an ignitable three-ball who can run fiery hot any given night, but he's still a volume scorer (career 20.1 points on 42.2/34.2/79.9 shooting) who doesn't exactly elevate those around him (3.4 assists against 2.4 turnovers).

Unless the Rockets want Young, the Hawks probably don't have enough to get Green in a two-team swap, but they should be aiming to get involved in a bigger blockbuster. Green could handle primary-scoring duties on a post-Young Atlanta team and wreak havoc in the open floor alongside Jalen Johnson.

Maybe this takes more assets than the Hawks are comfortable sacrificing, but it feels like a bold move is needed to snap them out of this sad stretch of mediocre ball."

3. Draft Picks

"If the Hawks wind up splitting from Young, they need to get as much draft capital as they can in the deal. He has his flaws as a centerpiece, obviously, but he's still the most recognizable part of their identity, not to mention their top scorer and table-setter.

Since their own draft picks are already out the door, they need to find the best available external ones. Young's trade value is murky, since he's extremely ball-dominant on offense and such a clear target on defense, but clubs who are desperate to jolt their offense would still have a hard time overlooking his per-game contributions of 24.2 points and a league-leading 11.6 assists.

Finding his right fit remains tricky regardless, but it's hard to imagine the entire Association would be out on a 26-year-old providing that level of production. Could the Orlando Magic see him as the key to getting their attack out of the bottom 10? Might the Miami Heat wonder if he could be the one to unlock their half-court attack?

The Hawks should have options. Not many of them, probably, but enough to potentially spark a mid-sized bidding war. And if it helps replenish some of the draft picks lost in previous win-now pursuits, Atlanta's future would appear undeniably brighter."

If the Hawks look to keep their core together, Mathurin would be a intriguing option to come off the bench to add some scoring. If the Hawks did not re-sign Caris LeVert, Mathurin could take his place and would be a younger player who is still getting better. He is not a perfect player, but would add some depth at the wing. What Houston does this offseason is a big mystery and it may largely depend on their playoff run to see what they do this offseason. Stockpiling draft picks is never a bad idea and the Hawks have replenished their own stash of picks thanks to the Dejounte Murray trade last summer.

Atlanta has its options for where it wants to go and this is going to be a big offseason for GM Landry Fields and the front office.

Related Links:

Everything Atlanta Hawks GM Landry Fields Said In His Exit Interview

General Manager Landry Fields Speaks On The Future of the Atlanta Hawks in Exit Interview

Everything From Trae Young's Full Exit Interview After The Hawks Play-In Loss Against the Miami Heat