Atlanta Hawks: 3 outside-the-box draft night trade targets

Reach Target: Bradley Beal

Does anybody know if Bradley Beal is actually on the trading block? There’s been rumor after rumor, but the Washington Wizards seem reluctant on pulling the plug on him, especially with John Wall returning.

If Washington Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard wakes up and has a dream that he should trade Beal, the Hawks should be right there waiting for him to make a move.

Adding Beal to the Hawks could possibly make them an instant contender in the Eastern Conference. He and Young could form one of the most dangerous offensive backcourts in the NBA. Last season, Beal averaged the second-most points in the league at 30.5, and Young was fourth averaging 29.6.

On the flip side, they would be one of the worst defensive backcourts in the league. Last season, Bradley Beal ranked 490th among 490 players in the league in defensive win shares. To make matters worse, Young ranked 490th. Not only will they be scoring a lot of points, but they’d also be giving up a lot as well.

Trading for Beal may take an arm and a leg for the Hawks. By that, I mean their pick and some major assets.

When I say major, I mean possibly John Collins. Getting big-name players mean that you might have to give up big players of your own.

With less than a week, these are the options the Hawks have, plus more. What route should they take?