The Atlanta Hawks seem headed for the Play-In Tournament once again, as they’re five games under .500 and the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Trae Young led Atlanta to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, but since then, the Hawks haven’t even won a playoff series. The Hawks got bounced out of the Play-In Tournament last year, and they’re in serious danger of that happening again.
If Young becomes frustrated with the franchise, the team may need to make a major move to convince him to stay. Fadeaway World predicts that former Oklahoma City Thunder center Domantas Sabonis will head to Atlanta in the offseason.
Here’s how the trade proposal would look:
Hawks Receive: Sabonis
Sacramento Kings Receive: Clint Capela (Sign-and-Trade), Zaccharie Risacher, Georges Niang, 2029 First-Round Pick (ATL), 2030 First-Round Pick (ATL)
Sabonis was drafted with the No. 11 pick in 2016 by the Orlando Magic, but was quickly dealt to OKC alongside Victor Oladipo for Serge Ibaka. Sabonis averaged a modest 5.9 points in his lone season with the Thunder before he and Oladipo were traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2017 for Paul George.
George may not have ended up in OKC if the Thunder didn’t have Sabonis to trade to Indy, so if this sequence of events never happened, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might not be wearing a Thunder uniform today. Gilgeous-Alexander was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in a trade that paired George with Kawhi Leonard.
Sabonis is expected “to seek clarity” about the Kings’ plans at the end of the 2025 season, according to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
If the Hawks land Sabonis, he and Young could really help keep the ball moving and make Atlanta’s offense dangerous, given their respective playmaking abilities.
Sabonis would primarily dominate in the post while Young inflicts his damage from three-point range.
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