NBA Rumors: Caris LeVert Could Be Hawks’ ‘Best Potentially Available Option’ On Trade Market This Summer
Since entering the league, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young continues to prove that he deserved to be selected as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. From being a frontrunner to win the Rookie of the Year award, Young earned his first All-Star recognition in just his second year of playing in the league. Unfortunately, Young’s explosive performance almost every night was clearly not enough to bring the Hawks back to playoff contention.
As of now, the Hawks obviously need to surround Young with more star power in order to become a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. However, instead of targeting an established veteran, the Hawks might be better off going after another young and promising talent with huge superstar potential who fits the timeline of Young. According to Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report, one of the potential trade targets for the Hawks this summer is Caris LeVert of the Brooklyn Nets.
With the Hawks currently in dire need of a major upgrade in their wing, Highkin believes that LeVert would be the “best potentially available option” for Atlanta in the 2020 NBA offseason.
“The Atlanta Hawks have their franchise point guard in Trae Young and appear set up front with John Collins and the newly acquired Clint Capela. They need an upgrade on the wing, and Caris LeVert is probably the best potentially available option out there. LeVert’s future in Brooklyn is uncertain. He’s made great strides when healthy during his first four seasons, but Kevin Durant is set to make his Nets debut whenever the 2020-21 season begins, which could make LeVert expendable long-term.”
LeVert would undeniably be an incredible addition to the Hawks. Though he’s yet to be considered an All-Star-caliber player, LeVert would give the Hawks a very reliable scoring option next to Young. This season, the 25-year-old shooting guard is averaging 17.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Just a year ago, LeVert was considered to be one of the players that would lead the Nets back to title contention. However, everything changed when Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant arrived in Brooklyn. With their goal to immediately contend for the championship title next season, most people see the Nets using LeVert as the main trade chip to further improve their current roster.
As Highkin noted, the Hawks have plenty of intriguing, young, secondary pieces like Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter that might interest the Nets in the potential LeVert trade. However, as of now, the popular belief around the league is that the Nets would only consider trading LeVert in a deal that would enable them to acquire their third superstar.
