Atlanta Hawks: Analyzing a trade of the No. 6 pick for DeMar DeRozan

It’s not a match made in heaven, but the presence of DeMar DeRozan would be a good fit for this Atlanta Hawks team looking to push for the playoffs.

On Tuesday, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer released his latest NBA mock draft. In it, he reports that the Atlanta Hawks are shopping the sixth overall pick in hopes of improving their roster and making the franchise’s first playoff appearance since the 2016-2017 season.

This report comes with little surprise, given that head coach Lloyd Pierce has publicly stated all the way back in March that the goal is to make the playoffs next season, after previously stating that there were no expectations other than to get better every single day.

O’Connor’s mock draft presupposes that the San Antonio Spurs are willing to part ways with DeMar DeRozan this offseason to trade up in this draft (while most teams are looking to trade down or out altogether). He suggests we may see a draft-day trade between the Hawks and the Spurs.

This is what his proposed trade looks like:

A couple of things have to happen before this trade can be possible. For starters and most importantly, DeRozan would have to opt into the final year of his contract. Next, the Spurs front office would have to fall head over heels for someone they don’t expect to be available at 11.

Given the increased likelihood the salary cap doesn’t rise above the current $109M next season and the lack of teams with substantial cap space, DeRozan will likely opt in and wait till next off-season to test the market.

The two teams are on different trajectories, with the Spurs heading towards a rebuild and the Hawks trying to emerge from their own rebuild with playoff aspirations.

Let’s break down how this trade would affect both teams, starting with the San Antonio Spurs.