Mavericks-Hawks Kyrie Trade
I feel like a team Kyrie hasn’t really been linked to is Atlanta despite it being a relatively easy trade to set up.
Reasons Atlanta would do this are simple, they need a true star point guard and a fantastic leader to take their young core to the next level, while still keeping a top 10 pick in this draft.
Reasons Dallas would do this would involve moving up one spot in this star studded draft to give you a legit chance at landing an Acuff or a Mikel Brown. You also add that later 23rd overall pick which could potentially be packaged with 30 to move up into the top 20. You also take the buy low on Risacher and see if there is any potential left in him to pair longterm with Cooper Flagg.
Reasons Atlanta would say no would frankly involve more on not willing to give up on Risacher quite yet. I don’t think moving down necessarily affects their drafts plans unless they truly fell in love with someone and it’s just being kept quiet. They also could potentially view this as an overpay for Kyrie.
Reasons Dallas would say no are frankly less important than Atlanta. Dallas could view this return and simply say they’d rather just ride with Kyrie and #9 and see what Flagg and Kyrie look like together and reassess at the deadline. The Mavericks were reported to have interest in Kuminga at the deadline, however with a new regime in place they may simply have no interest in being the team that has to pay him.
I’m a Mavericks fan. I love Kyrie, but I’m also a realist and want the Cooper Flagg era to be as successful as possible. I personally think this trade works well for both teams, but I may be viewing it in a biased lens. Ultimately time will tell if all these Kyrie mock trades were a waste of time for everyone, but I do think the Hawks should be considered a potential landing spot.