With the trade deadline fast approaching on February 6, teams are having to make final decisions about which players they’re in on and which players they’re not.
For the Atlanta Hawks, they’ve decided they’re officially out on Andre Drummond.
So what does a failed trade between the Hawks and the Detroit Pistons have to do with the Oklahoma City Thunder?
Well, without Andre Drummond in the middle, the Hawks are still in need of a center.
And as it turns out, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, the Thunder’s Steven Adams could be the player they’re looking at to fill the void.
Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams is also on the Hawks’ radar and talks could potentially pick up steam as the deadline looms, sources said.
As noted by Jordan Green of Sporting News, Adams’ contract could make negotiations somewhat tricky, but the Hawks have the personnel at the price that could make it work.
In terms of trade mechanics, Adams is on the books for $25.8 million this season and $27.5 million in 2020-21, so it would be a challenge for most teams to land him. Fortunately for the Hawks, they have multiple expiring contracts (Chandler Parsons at $25.1 million, Evan Turner at $18.6 million, Allen Crabbe at $18.5 million) and could offer a first-round pick acquired from the Nets or one of their own selections.
Adams’ scoring is slightly down this year after averaging 13.9 points per game in each of the last two seasons.
However, without Russell Westbrook to compete with on the glass, this year Adams is pulling down a career-best 10.0 rebounds per game.