The Atlanta Hawks' need for more halfcourt creation was exposed in the 2025-26 playoffs. When the defense tightened up on Jalen Johnson and CJ McCollum stopped shooting like the fourth member of the Splash Brothers, the offense completely ran out of gas. There's a credible argument to be made that the Hawks should be shopping for a player that can boost the ceiling of their halfcourt offense in order to raise their postseason ceiling.
The problem is that it's usually expensive to do that. Unless they knock the 8th or 22nd overall pick out of the park, there aren't an abundance of players that the Hawks can add between now and next season that can legitimately shift the Hawks' offense from being so reliant on excellence in transition opportunities. Fortunately, it is possible that they can add one former star who might help as part of a bigger move.
The Hawks should seriously look into acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Golden State Warriors this summer.
The Trade
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Mar 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) drives past Atlanta Hawks guard Caris LeVert (3) in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
_Hawks receive:_ _Jimmy Butler, Tristan Vukcevic_
_Warriors receive:_ _Anthony Davis, Bilal Coulibaly, 2027 2nd round pick, 2029 2nd round pick, 2032 2nd round pick_
_Wizards receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Zaccharie Risacher, Buddy Hield, 2027 1st round pick (via GSW)_
Why This Trade Makes Sense
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For Atlanta, Jimmy Butler is arguably one of the best possible opportunities to add a second star next to Jalen Johnson this summer. He's on an expiring contract and there is no long-term risk of giving an extension to a player who's already 36 years old. It's possible that Butler may not play without a new deal, but he doesn't have a ton of leverage since he's coming off a torn ACL. It's in Butler's interest to come back from his injury as strong as he possibly can so that he can secure one final contract before he likely retires.
The Hawks would be a great destination for him to finish out his career. Jalen Johnson has already shown that he can handle the responsibilities of a No. 1 option and just made the All-NBA Third Team. Butler would have the freedom to rack up points off of pinpoint passes from Johnson, who's especially good at finding smart cutters like him. Butler himself is still incredibly talented - the Warriors were a +13.5 with him on the court last season per Databallr and he was averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists on 51.9/37.6/86.4 shooting splits before going down with his ACL injury. Butler remains one of the best free throw drawers in the NBA and has always used that to his advantage in both the regular season and playoffs. Obviously, he's extremely experienced with the physicality of postseason basketball and has led multiple teams to the Finals as the primary option.
The spacing might be an issue in Atlanta. Butler's never been an especially strong three-point shooter and the Hawks already have a non-shooter in the lineup with Dyson Daniels. Adding Butler does take away a large chunk of Daniels' ball-handling reps, which are essential for his development. However, Butler has never been the most durable player and the Hawks would likely be extra careful with his regular season workload. That means Daniels will still have opportunities to run the offense when Butler sits games out due to injuries/workload. Considering Butler hasn't played in 65 games since the 2018-19 season, that's still a lot of reps for Dyson to take on. Vukcevic is just depth to make the money work, give the Hawks some more injury insurance and add another candidate for backup center reps.
The other teams involved in this deal are getting a lot out of it as well. For Golden State, the clock is ticking on Steph Curry's career. They are probably only going to get one more shot at a fifth ring with him at the helm and this offseason is their best chance to do it. They have all their first round picks, the No. 11 selection in the upcoming draft and a decent amount of salary flexibiliy. Since 2022, the Warriors have been exposed in the postseason for not having enough size and physicality. By swapping out Butler for Anthony Davis, they would suddenly have a massive starting lineup assuming that they can work out a deal with Kristaps Porzingis and elect to keep Draymond Green. Davis is a tough player to bet on due to his injury history and the Warriors are a very old roster. However, the possible ceiling if everyone stays mostly healthy cannot be ignored.
The Wizards might not be getting the most talented player in the deal, but they are clearing a ton of salary and getting young talent/picks back for a player that definitely doesn't want to be in Washington. Bilal Coulibaly has stalled out with the Wizards and they're likely going to add his replacement at the top of the NBA Draft with AJ Dybantsa. Jonathan Kuminga can clearly score and showed signs of being a better defender with the Hawks - perhaps he channels a big opportunity in Washington into a lucrative free-agent contract. Regardless, this move turns Davis into some players that might actually buy into what the Wizards are building. Pairing Risacher with fellow Frenchman Alex Sarr and his former point guard in Trae Young might also bring out the best in the 21-year old wing.
Halfcourt offense is at a premium in the postseason and the Hawks didn't have enough of it. If they can add it without compromising any of their future assets, it'd be tough not to strongly consider the opportunity.
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