Rationale for Atlanta Hawks

With the center of the Atlanta Hawks’ roster being Trae Young, it’s clear the team must do what they can to build a sufficient defense around him. There may be no better way than to do so by trading for Rudy Gobert.

Right now, the Hawks have Clint Capela to fill the role as rim protector, but he has yet to take the court. He could do a sufficient job for Atlanta but won’t be quite as impactful as the presence Gobert would bring patrolling the paint.

The incredible wingspan that Gobert possesses would provide Young with a spectacular lob threat when running pick-and-roll sequences at a more dynamic level than what Capela would.

The main complication for the Hawks would be the fact they need to hand out a contract extension to John Collins and Gobert after the 2020-21 season. Atlanta has the cap space, but they’d need to be absolutely certain that’s the core group they want to compete.