Ranking Hawks' Top Trade Targets After 2026 NBA Playoff Loss
The Atlanta Hawks laid plenty of foundation during the 2025-26 NBA season.
They might wind up using this summer to search for missing pieces.
They could feel as if they only need to fill in various cracks around their core. Or maybe they think a bigger backcourt fish is missing to replace all of the production that exited when Trae Young did.
Either way, the trade market will have options.
3. Day'Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets
1 of 3
Onyeka Okongwu is pretty awesome at what he does, and the list of what he does seems to grow by the season. Still, he can only do so much against burly, brute-force bigs as a 6'10", 240-pounder.
If the Hawks seek more size at the center spot, the 265-pound Sharpe should be a target.
He is too skilled to simply label as a hustler, but he does all of the guts-over-glory duties that the label implies. He is active on the glass, stingy around the basket and reliable from close range.
He doesn't have the shooting touch Atlanta seems to covet from its centers, but it might want a change-of-pace option to have better counters against supersized frontcourts.
2. Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee Bucks
2 of 3
Atlanta's long-term plans for perimeter scoring and creation are...what, exactly? CJ McCollum is approaching unrestricted free agency and his 35th birthday. Nickeil Alexander-Walker just oblitered expectations for his offensive output as a seventh-year veteran. Dyson Daniels' utility doesn't really reach beyond the paint.
The Hawks are in pretty desperate need for a fire-breathing bucket, and that's basically what Rollins just became this season.
He's more of a scorer than table-setter, but Atlanta should have enough playmaking at other spots to work with that. This offense runs through Jalen Johnson anyway, so as long as Rollins is efficiently finishing the scoring chances he finds, the Hawks should be in business.
It might take something significant to pry him away from Milwaukee, but if the Bucks split from Giannis Antetokounmpo, they could go into asset-stockpiling mode immediately. And nothing would help replenish their collection more than selling high on Rollins' breakout.
1. Andrew Nembhard, Indiana Pacers
3 of 3
If the Hawks made a checklist of their ideal backcourt addition, Nembhard might check all of them.
OK, maybe that's a tad hyperbolic for a 26-year-old All-Star, but think about it.
He'd fit on or off the ball, a must for anyone joining this Jalen Johnson-driven roster. He can finish chances in the open court or help create them when things are slowed down. He plays both ends. He has high-level playoff experience. And despite offering plug-and-play ability, he still has plenty of room to grow with this core.
About the only thing Nembhard doesn't offer is obvious availability. But Indiana is looming uncomfortably close to the luxury tax, and if it lands a high lottery pick, it might want to see if it could find a cheaper replacement for Tyrese Haliburton's backcourt partner.
