The Atlanta Hawks are a team that is interested in making a move or two ahead of the NBA trade deadline. While they are currently 22-20 and the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, they want to improve their roster. One player they are interested in trading for is Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart.
Smart is going to be a player that quite a few teams have interest in trading for if he is available. However, it would be very surprising if the Celtics ended up moving him, as they are currently in serious playoff contention as well.
According to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Hawks have expressed interest in acquiring Smart from the Celtics.
The Hawks have expressed interest in Celtics guard Marcus Smart, sources said. Smart has played in six games since returning from a calf strain, and Celtics players understood his loss in the lineup during the month-and-a-half he sat out.
In addition to the Hawks being interested in trading for Marcus Smart, they have made two of their own players available in trade talks. Both Bogdan Bogdanovic and Cam Reddish could be had for the right price.
Nate McMillan and the Hawks have won eight straight games since he took over as head coach. Things are heading in the right direction and it seems weird that they are open to making moves. But, if they could bring Smart in to play with their current group, they would definitely improve.
Smart has had a solid season with the Celtics so far. He has played in 23 games and started in 20 of those appearances. In those appearances, he has averaged 12.6 points per game to go along with 5.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 40.1 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from the three-point line.
At 27 years of age, Smart is in the prime of his career. He would be a great role player for the Hawks, but it seems unlikely that the Celtics will end up moving him.
Expect to see the Hawks remain active ahead of the trade deadline. Marcus Smart is a target, but there are plenty of other targets Atlanta could look into.
