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The great majority of trade talk surrounding the Atlanta Hawks at the deadline centered around Al Horford and Jeff Teague. However, the Hawks were also said to be taking calls on young point guard Dennis Schröder and a report has surfaced that links Schröder to an offer that came from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer brings details of what would have been a very interesting swap.
The team offered packages that included some combination of shooting guard Nik Stauskas, point guard Ish Smith, a player with an expiring guaranteed contract and a 2016 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for point guard Dennis Schroder, according to multiple league sources.
Former Sixer JaKarr Sampson was said to be player with the expiring contract in the deal. According to NBA rules, Smith could not have been part of a multi-player deal since he had been acquired by the Sixers fewer than 60 days before. But he could have been traded alone in a second deal.
In addition to the players exchanged, Pompey reports that the 2016 first-round pick in question would have come from the Lakers, Heat or Thunder, each of which owe Philadelphia a protected pick for this coming year.
There is, of course, a lot to take in here. First, the inclusion of Ish Smith jumps off the page in that Atlanta's interest would have presumably been in a backup role. However, the report indicates that "uncertainty surrounding the re-signing of Smith this summer" was a sticking point for Mike Budenholzer, Wes Wilcox and company.
In addition, Stauskas is a former lottery pick that has struggled to gain traction for both the Sacramento Kings and the Sixers, though there is a theoretical fit for the former Michigan standout given his skill set as a floor spacer. The pick acquisition, or at least theoretical possibility of one, would be the most important piece of this deal, but given the uncertainty of the protections (and even the team that would convey the selection), it is very tough to gauge actual value when compared to a player like Dennis Schröder.
As with all deals of this nature, a certain level of skepticism exists, especially after the deadline has passed and sources are more loose-lipped. Still, the 22-year-old Schröder is arguably Atlanta's best young asset, and the Hawks electing to a balk at a deal of this nature could lean toward the team valuing him at a very high level. Beyond that, Pompey quotes a source that indicates Philadelphia could come calling again in June surrounding the NBA Draft, so this rumor may fester once again.
The Hawks undoubtedly took a lot of calls on several fronts in advance of the 2016 trade deadline and this was, perhaps, one of them. It is always fun to speculate, though, and this one has a number of layers. Fire away.