Atlanta Hawks
When Nate McMillan took over as interim head coach after the Atlanta Hawks fired Lloyd Pierce, the team took off. They won their first eight games while he was head coach and after starting the season 14-20 with Pierce, they finished up 27-11 with McMillan and earned the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks would go on a great run, taking down the New York Knicks in five games in Round One and then the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games in the semis. They were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, but this is a team that can cause some noise in the future.
The Hawks has all of the offensive firepower in the world led by point guard Trae Young. Adding a defensive-minded guard next to him would help balance out this team and cement them as true contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Marcus Smart would give the Hawks a defensive ace to defend the opposing team’s best perimeter player. Pairing him with De’Andre Hunter in the starting five would give the Hawks two legitimate stoppers with an eraser in Clint Capela at the rim.
READ MORE: Predictions for Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Lillard, Simmons, Sexton, and More
Smart is also a good playmaker, so he could take pressure off of Young in that regard. Allowing Young to play off the ball a little more would make him even more dangerous offensively given his shooting range and ability to run off screens.
