Report: Hawks looking to trade for a big man

It’s been an extraordinarily busy offseason for the Hawks from the top down that began with extensions for both general manager Onsi Saleh and head coach Quin Snyder.

Atlanta then re-signed one of their own free agents in CJ McCollum — who was a huge piece of their second half turnaround after the Hawks acquired him in the Trae Young trade with the Wizards — and they also traded for Aaron Wiggins to add to what was a thin bench last season.

The draft then saw the Hawks bring in three new faces — Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar.

Flemings has the type of potential to come in and start from day one at point guard, which was one of their glaring holes a season ago. Although, the Hawks might choose to ease him into things as he gets mentored by a seasoned veteran like CJ McCollum.

Ejofor also has the makeup of an immediate contributor, offering relentless energy on the defensive end with a unique skill set offensively for a big man.

Atlanta’s roster is already in a much better spot than it was when they lined up against the New York Knicks a couple of months ago, but there remains one massive hole left to fill. The Hawks have to add some more size at the center position, and according to Jack Fischer, they are attempting to do that via trade.

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“The Hawks are in active trade pursuit of a big man, The Stein Line has learned.

It was not immediately known how broad Atlanta’s list of potential targets is …but they certainly are looking.

For past perspective: New Orleans’ Yves Missi, Orlando’s Goga Bitadze and Dallas’ Daniel Gafford are all centers that the Hawks have pursued previously and who are generally regarded as available.

Sources said that the Hawks, coming out of the draft, had some designs on trying to test Oklahoma City’s resolve when it came to Isaiah Hartenstein’s availability as part of their push to upgrade the center rotation. They always understood that it would be an extreme longshot, but there was initially some hope that the combination of the Thunder’s decision to draft Michigan’s Aday Mara with the 12th overall pick and second apron concerns might make Hartenstein unexpectedly available. Atlanta, remember, selected Houston guard Kingston Flemings with the eighth overall pick in Tuesday night’s draft, contributing to Mara’s availability at No. 12.”

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Hartenstein is no longer an option after inking a contract extension with the Thunder, but it does reveal the Hawks intentions. They know they have a serious issue on the interior, and they aren’t simply looking to fill it with a backup caliber player that is going to have minimal impact.

This is a rumor with some legs. It would be shocking if Atlanta comes out of the offseason without pouring a significant amount of resources into the center position.

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(Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)