Hawks On The Rise: Blockbuster Trade for Suns Star Forward Makes Atlanta an Instant Contender
It has been a disappointing season for the Phoenix Suns thus far and major roster changes may be just around the corner.
Phoenix entered the season expected to compete near the top of the Western Conference standings thanks to their superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Instead, the Suns currently sit 11th in the West standings with an abysmal 30-35 record, which has them two and a half games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the final Play-In spot.
Because of their poor season, the Suns are expected to make some major changes to their roster in the offseason, which could be moving on from Durant.
With Durant possibly on the move in the summer, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz recently proposed a trade that would send him to the Atlanta Hawks.
In the trade, Swartz has Durant heading to Atlanta in exchange for Zaccharie Risacher, Onyeka Okongwu, Terance Mann and a 2025 first-round pick.
“The Atlanta Hawks will need to aggressively improve the roster this summer, as Trae Young can become an unrestricted free agent in 2026,” Swartz wrote. “As good as the four-time All-Star is, Young is probably best suited to be a No. 2 option on a championship team rather than a leading man. A trade for Durant makes the Hawks competitive immediately, which is important since the San Antonio Spurs control Atlanta’s next two first-round picks.”
While this trade could make the Hawks a contender next season with Durant teaming up with Young, this trade would also work well for the Suns.
Phoenix would fill some major holes in their rotation, including acquiring a young center in Okongwu who would fit well in their frontcourt rotation with Nick Richards and possibly Bol Bol if they elect to re-sign him.
The Suns would also land the first-overall pick in the 2024 draft, Risacher, who would immediately fill the hole Durant would leave in the starting lineup.
Swartz’ mock trade works for both team, but the Hawks may be giving up too much in the deal for them to actually consider pulling it off.
