Markelle Fultz #20 Atlanta Hawks (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
After a 3-12 start to the season without franchise cornerstone John Collin, it’s never too early to start looking at some potential Atlanta Hawks trades to try and increase the talent level on this youthful roster.
In particular, the Atlanta Hawks could attempt to make a trade for one of the most interesting players in the NBA right now: Markelle Fultz of the Philadelphia 76ers.
At this point, if you’re even a vague sports fan, you have heard Fultz’s name. The 76ers, led by burner Twitter account expert Bryan Colangelo, traded up to get consensus number one overall pick Fultz out of Washington in the 2017 draft.
The move was widely praised at the time, as Fultz’s versatile skill set and fluid, natural athleticism had every team in the league drooling over his skill set. However, a curious change in Fultz’s jump-shooting form between his college days and pro days led the 76ers to claim Fultz had an injury – which kept him out of all but 14 games in his rookie season.
Fultz’s jump-shooting form is still not where it needs to be and his free-throw shooting motion can be described as avant-garde:
Still though, Fultz is fast and has impressive length defending either guard spot, and he most likely still has untapped upside that a team that is not trying to contend for a title can afford to explore.
With Jimmy Butler newly acquired by the Sixers, Fultz’s lack of growth so far in his early career means that a change of scenery might be in the works for Markelle, and the Atlanta Hawks should be ready and willing to make a deal for Fultz with his value at its nadir.
Read on to explore three trade scenarios involving Markelle Fultz that the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers could undertake.