The Hawks’ top 2 trade options using Kristaps Porzingis’ expiring $30.7 million contract

The The Atlanta Hawks aren’t even close where they envisioned going into the 2025-26 campaign. Last offseason they were very aggressive, they brought Kristaps Porzingis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker via trade and free agency, respectively, to try to make a breakthrough in the wide-open Eastern Conference. But instead of taking the leap, they remained very mediocre as they entered Christmas at 15-16 amid a current four-game skid.

There’s plenty of talent on the Hawks’ roster, but somehow they haven’t assembled it yet this season. Their offseason additions, which were supposed to boost Atlanta defensively, didn’t have the impact they were hoping for.

On the season, they rank 18th in defensive rating, allowing 115.6 points per 100 possessions, and from Trae Young he came back from injury On Dec. 18, they allowed 125.8 points per 100 — good for third-worst in the NBA during that span.

Suffice to say, the Hawks may have a sense of urgency to be aggressive in the trade market given their current circumstances. Porzingis is dealing with further complications caused by his Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), leaving Atlanta with only Onieka Okongwu at center.

If Atlanta is really feeling the heat, desperation might make them do it trade Porzingis to acquire another center. The uncertainty surrounding the Latvian big man could become unsustainable for a Hawks squad looking to be one of the top teams in the East, and with his contract expiring at the end of this current campaign, he will be a piece for teams looking to shed salary.

With that said, here are three trade options the Hawks could use amid Porzingis’ injury streak.

Bucks call Myles Turner sunk, trade him to Hawks

Hawks get: Myles Turner, Andre Jackson Jr.

Bucks acquire: Kristaps Porzingis, 2026 SAS first round pick

The The Hawks’ vision was clear when they acquired Porzingis in a trade that gave up Terrence Mann, Georges Niang and a 2025 first-round pick (Drake Powell). With Clint Capela leaving in free agency, a spot opened up in their center rotation. Porzingis has proven to be a perfect fit next to Jalen Johnson in the frontcourt; Johnson is a slasher who can finish well inside, while Porzingis likes to let it fly from beyond the arc. And with Young handling the offense, Atlanta must have enjoyed it.

Porzingis also provides more rim protection than Okongwu thanks to his length (he’s 7’2″ with a 7’6″ wingspan), and Atlanta needed a tone to set on the defensive end given how average they’ve been on that end of the floor the past few seasons.

Alas, rolling the dice on Porzingis was always a risk. He’s already been injury-prone enough throughout his career, but a mystery ailment kept him out of the Boston Celtics’ lineup too often for their liking during last season’s playoffs and sapped his productivity whenever he was on the court.

That mystery illness was later diagnosed as POTS, and now Porzingis is dealing with its effects and is unable to suit up on the basketball court. As much as he’d like to produce for the Hawks (and he’s been very productive when healthy), his body won’t let him — forcing Atlanta to make some very tough decisions.

The archetype of player the Hawks want at center is very clear. They want a floor spacer that can consistently block shots. And fortunately, such a player can become available commercially at Miles Turner.

Turner, who signed a four-year, $108.9 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks last offseason, has struggled in his first season out of Indianapolis. His numbers are down, and given the total cost the Bucks paid to sign him (waiving and extending Damian Lillard’s contract), he’s played at a level far below expectations, nowhere near being the piece Milwaukee needed to make a compelling case for Giannis Antetokounmpo pledging his future to the city.

It’s going to be a tough pill to swallow Bucks to swallow that Turner signing of theirs was a mistake, but they can fix that by trading him for Porzingis’ expiring contract while getting a first-round pick for his troubles.

Now, the Hawks owe the San Antonio Spurs a pick swap next year thanks to the Dejounte Murray trade. That pick of theirs will most likely fall in the late first round. To that end, Atlanta should be very comfortable trading a late first-round pick for a 3-and-D center with plenty of experience doing damage along with a talented playmaker.

The Bucks, meanwhile, get a chance to clean up the books and try again in next year’s free agency. They’re 12-18 on the season, and with Antetokounmpo still not back, it might make sense for them to go for it and get a first-round pick in return.

Big changes coming for the Clippers?

The Hawks take over: Ivica Zubac, Bogdan Bogdanović

Clippers acquire: Kristaps Porzingis, 2026 ATL 1st round pick (SAS own rights trade with ATL), 2027 ATL 1st round pick trade (LAC gets more or less favorable pick between ATL and NOP and less favorable than LAC/DEN/OKC picks), 2028 ATL 2-02 1st round pick trade, 2028 ATL 2-02 1st round pick, trade point A,

Trading two first-round picks and two trades for Ivica Zubac doesn’t look very smart for the Hawks. to begin with Zubac is currently sidelined with a sprained ankle and will recover for several weeks. Moreover, it’s not like Atlanta is just a few fractions away from winning the title; they are currently 15-16 years old and fighting hard.

But Zubac solves many of the Hawks’ problems. For starters, Zubac has been known to lead the Clippers’ elite defense in the past. Sure, LA’s defense has been very poor this year, but that can be attributed as much to their poor perimeter defense as any form of decline from the 28-year-old center.

Zubac is also a more traditional pick-and-roll dance partner for Young, someone who can feast on dimes than the Hawks’ star point guard. Capela was a lob threat who could protect the rim; Zubac is similar in that regard, but differs in that he has a better inside touch and can even get the ball in the post — his cross-kick is almost automatic from close range.

The Hawks, due to the possibility of trading picks to the Clippers and unprotected picks in the first round for Zubac, will also get a familiar face in Bogdan Bogdanović. Bogdanović adds another player and scorer for Atlanta from the bench, and his contract expires in 2026, so he won’t be on the books for long.

The The Clippers will then get their chance to begin their process of starting over, arming themselves with more future draft picks. They’ve also been playing noticeably better lately; maybe a high five would be the way to go moving forward. To that end, if Porzingis were ever to be healthy, he could be a huge help to LA in their quest to at least salvage a spot in the tournament after a terrible start to the 2025-26 campaign.

This, however, is an unlikely swing for the Hawks. Young is likely to enter free agency at the end of the season (he has a player option for the 2026-27 campaign worth $48.97 million), which clouds Atlanta’s future with so much uncertainty. But this could be a worthwhile swing if they were really hell-bent on making it work with Young at the controls.