1. Atlanta Hawks
Why the Blazers make this trade
With this trade, the Blazers shed money and get a good player in return with Marco Belinelli. He is averaging 11.1 points, 2.0 assists, 1.9 rebounds per game and shooting 36.5 percent from the 3-point line.
He gives the Blazers another threat from the 3-point line coming off the bench. At 6’5″, Belinelli can play both small forward and shooting guard. He would help the Blazers make a playoff push right away and could even be the X-factor for some games because of his shooting. Belinelli would see plenty of open looks in Terry Stotts’ offensive system and would benefit playing with guys like Lillard, McCollum, Napier and Nurkic.
Belinelli is 31 years old and is set to be a free agent this summer. He would be a guy the Blazers should try to keep if they want to be competitive in the Western Conference the next few seasons,
Sending a first round pick to shed Leonard’s contract and add a sniper like Belinelli should be well worth it for the Blazers.
Why the Hawks make this trade
The Hawks are one of the worst teams in the NBA and are going to be rebuilding the next few seasons. According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hawks want to move a veteran player either for a young prospect or a first-round pick. Marco Belinelli is one of the main names being discussed.
The Blazers can give the Hawks a first-rounder and give them a young center who was a former lottery pick. Leonard is still 25 years old and could benefit from being around a coach like Mike Budenholzer. He can space the floor with his shooting and runs the court well for being 7’1″.
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The Hawks would have a few seasons to see what they can get out of him during their rebuild. They get to move on from a veteran player who was probably going to leave them in free agency anyway, making sure they don’t lose him for nothing.