Things are going far better in Atlanta than they are in Dallas.
The Mavericks are still dealing with the aftermath of the infamous Luka Doncic trade that took place last season and they just fired general manager Nico Harrison this week. Shortly after that, there have been rumblings that almost everyone on the roster outside of Cooper Flagg is available to be had in a trade and that there are real talks about starting over.
A lot of the talk around the potential trades for Dallas are going to revolve around Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson, but those are not the players that the Hawks need to target if Dallas does decide to make everyone available. There is one player that would make sense from a roster construction standpoint and that is Naji Marshall.
Why would Marshall fit?
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Marshall is not going to be the player that is talked about the most in trade talks, but he is the only one that really makes sense for Atlanta from a financial perspective and from a roster construction standpoint. Marshall is not on a long term or expensive contract, as he is set to make $9 million for this season and next and could be acquired with one of the trade exceptions that the Hawks currently possess.
Atlanta does have an extra roster spot available and while a lot of the attention has gone to the backup point guard situation for Atlanta, they have done well without Trae Young. Dyson Daniels has been really solid as the lead ball handler, with Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Keaton Wallace, and Luke Kennard also chipping in. If not a backup point guard, another wing defender would be a great fit for the Hawks and Marshall fits the bill.
Marshall is playing around 25 minutes per game for the Mavericks and averaging 10.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.4 APG on 48% shooting from the field and 26% from three. The three point shooting would be a bit of a concern but the physicality that he brings on the defensive end of the floor would make him a great player to bring off the bench.
What would it cost to get Marshall? That is tough to say and the fact that the Hawks are playing well right now would indicate that they are not interested in making any deals right now. Not only that, but would Dallas want anything that they Hawks might offer? Marshall would be a good addition for any team and the Hawks may not want to give away any current players on their roster and I don’t think Dallas just wants to give him away.
There are a few months until the trade deadline, but Marshall is certainly a name to keep an eye on if you are a Hawks fan, as he would be an impactful addition that would make them a deeper team.
