Getty Atlanta Hawks forward Taurean Prince
The Philadelphia 76ers shook the NBA landscape a bit early Wednesday morning with a blockbuster deal which bolstered their already-strong starting lineup. In the process, it made them one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference, and they’re now looking to add a wing player or two. One name who’s consistently popped up is Atlanta Hawks forward Taurean Prince, but the Sixers have plenty of competition for him.
As The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported, the Sixers are joined by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers as teams who have expressed interest in Prince. With the trade deadline nearing, there’s a lot that can happen, but these three teams could be worth monitoring.
While Prince would address a key need for the Sixers, Thunder and Blazers, we’re going to take a look at a potential deal from all three teams. Unfortunately, the Sixers find themselves in a potentially tough spot, as their recent deal with the Los Angeles Clippers for Tobias Harris leaves them somewhat thin on tradeable contracts.
Let’s dive in and look at a few of the potential packages which make sense for Prince.
*Note: All trades created with ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine.
Sixers Offer Expiring Deals & Future Draft Picks
- Sixers receive: Taurean Prince
- Hawks receive: Furkan Korkmaz, Justin Patton, 2019 second-round pick, 2021 second-round pick
The good news for the Sixers is that even after sending two first-round picks and two second-rounders to the Clippers, they still have decent draft capital. As RealGM details, the team has multiple 2021 second-round picks incoming, and adding one, along with a 2019 second-rounder could help to get a deal for Prince done.
While Korkmaz and Patton are somewhat of unknown prospects, they possess at least some level of intrigue and upside. The Hawks get the first look at two young players to decide if they want to try to re-sign them and add two picks in the process. It’s unlikely this will be the best deal of the bunch, but the Sixers can use picks to bolster it.
Thunder Add Prince & Alex Len
- Thunder receive: Taurean Prince, Alex Len
- Hawks receive: Nerlens Noel, Alex Abrines, 2020 second-round pick
I set this deal up under the expectation that the Hawks don’t want to hold the second year of Alex Len’s deal, which comes with a $4.16 million cap hit, per Spotrac. The Hawks also add on an intriguing piece in Nerlens Noel who has a player option at just over $1.98 million next year and could consider keeping him beyond that.
Alex Abrines is a player who’s flashed some upside and ability to knock down shots in his young career but has fallen out of the rotation in Oklahoma City. In turn, moving him with Noel to add a key player in Prince to help with the title run makes sense. I do believe the Thunder would have to toss in a second-round pick due to the structure of the two contracts of Noel and Abrines.
Trail Blazers Make Interesting Offer to Hawks for Prince & Lin
- Trail Blazers receive: Taurean Prince, Jeremy Lin
- Hawks receive: Maurice Harkless, Seth Curry, Zach Collins
This would likely come down to how the Hawks feel about Harkless, who’s certainly shown some upside to this point in his career. But the additions of Collins and Curry are inexpensive and have decent potential. While Curry’s deal will expire at the end of this season, the Hawks could make a push to try to keep him as their backup point guard potentially or just as a two-guard with the potential to see decent minutes.
In exchange for the trio, Portland adds immediate options who can help their playoff push in Prince and Lin. Atlanta has been rumored to have interest in moving both players and their expiring deals, so doing so in this spot while adding new pieces makes for a solid offer that works for both teams.
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