Unexplored Trade Options: The Atlanta Hawks
In the second edition of “Unexplored Trade Options,” I’ve decided to start going in ABC order. The first article covered the Detroit Pistons, and it wasn’t until after I had completed the idea that I decided to make it into a series. With that in mind, it’s time to start at the beginning with the Atlanta Hawks.
Celtics Trade: Enes Kanter
Hawks Trade: DeAndre Bembry, Skal Labissiere
In a similar fashion to the Pistons deal, this one isn’t going to break the bank. It’s nothing that would shock the world or make headlines on the national level, but that’s not what this series is about. It’s about realistic trades that the Celtics could do to help improve the roster.
The other interesting thing about this deal is that it would require sign-and-trades all around. Kanter has a player option coming up, while Bembry and Labissiere are at the end of their deals with the Hawks. However, with the number of players about to hit free agency around the league, sometimes we’re going to have to think of deals like this.
Starting off with Kanter, as sad as it is to say, the Celtics don’t really have a need for him. With a center rotation consisting of Daniel Theis, Robert Williams, and the occasional Grant Williams, where will Kanter ever find consistent minutes? That’s without even mentioning Vincent Poirier and Tacko Fall who might also see an uptick in minutes this upcoming season. By the end of the playoffs last season Kanter was already seeing his minutes falling off, so you can only imagine how much time he’d spend on the bench next year.
Meanwhile, Atlanta is a team most likely looking to make a playoff push next season. They traded for Clint Capela last year and have one of the best young duos in the league in Trae Young and John Collins. While Kanter won’t make the starting lineup, the bench in Atlanta could use some work. Their best backup big man is Dewayne Dedmon, and after that, they have Bruno Fernando, a young project who showed some potential last year but may not be ready to play significant minutes. With Kanter on their roster, they have a guy who can consistently grab rebounds for Young and put up some point in the paint when needed.
Moving on to the other end of the deal, the Hawks would be giving up two pieces that they don’t necessarily need. The only potential issue here is that I know Atlanta does like Bembry, but I don’t believe that he’s an essential part of their roster. As younger guys like Kevin Huerter, Cameron Reddish, and DeAndre Hunter start to get more and more minutes, there won’t be as much time for Bembry to see the floor. On top of that, the Hawks have the sixth pick in a guard-heavy draft. Who’s to say that they won’t pick a guy who can immediately contribute at the position that Bembry plays?
As for Labissiere, a guy who hasn’t even played a single minute in a Hawks uniform, they really have no use for him. He’s a guy who hasn’t proved himself in the league yet, and a team like Atlanta can’t really afford to be taking chances on players like that. They’re expressed their desires to win now with Young at the helm, so they need pieces that can help them do that. With their large array of young players already, they need veterans to help guide them, not unproven young players who came from outside their own system.
Now to discuss the Celtics’ viewpoint on these guys, Bembry would fit in well with Boston’s bench unit. The best way I thought of describing Bembry to Boston fans is is that he’s sort of similar to Javonte Green. He’s not amazing at shooting threes, although he has shown the ability to, and he has the same hustle and athleticism. The only difference between the two is Bembry’s above-average defense and more developed overall game. I think the C’s could help him improve his shooting drastically as he helped their second unit defensively.
Then there’s Labissiere, who has bounced around to a few teams in his short stint in the NBA. He hasn’t been able to make meaningful contributions anywhere he’s been thus far, but if there’s one thing I know about Brad Stevens it’s that he always gets the most out of his players. One of Labissiere’s main selling points in the league is his ability to stretch the floor pretty well. While he never got the opportunity to take a decent amount of shots from that range, in his first couple of years in the league he did manage to shoot the deep ball at a pretty solid clip. In Boston, he would have the chance to shoot more and improve his skills from that range, even more, expanding Boston’s ability to stretch the floor.
Let me know what you think of this deal! Would it help Boston or hurt them? What about the Hawks? Comment below what trade you would do with the Hawks if you had to do a deal with them!
