Unrealistic NBA Trade Idea Sends Clippers' Darius Garland to Hawks

Fadeaway World recently proposed that the Atlanta Hawks trade for LA Clippers point guard Darius Garland. 

Here is the trade idea Fadeaway World came up with:

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Darius Garland

Los Angeles Clippers Receive: CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert, Ryan Nembhard, 2027 first-round pick (MIL or NOP, top-four protected), 2030 first-round pick

This is a very unrealistic trade idea. After all, the Hawks signed McCollum to an extension this offseason and don't need a point guard (Garland). 

Plus, no NBA team wants to help the Clippers right now after they were caught cheating. LAC was found guilty of circumventing the salary cap for Kawhi Leonard.

The Hawks have McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, so they don't need Garland, who will make $42,166,510 next season.  

Hawks Roundtable recently spoke with an NBA executive who said the Hawks had a "terrific offseason." It's easy to see why the NBA exec feels that way.

The Hawks had a very busy summer. They signed McCollum to an extension, re-signed Jock Landale, acquired Devin Carter from the Sacramento Kings, Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Nembhard from the Dallas Mavericks and drafted Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar in the 2026 draft.  

"Terrific offseason for Atlanta," the NBA exec told Hawks Roundtable. "You can never have enough wings in today's NBA. That's why the Dort and Wiggins trades were huge."

Atlanta lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, but remember, the Hawks were the only team to beat the Knicks twice in the 2026 postseason.

That shows how good the Hawks will be moving forward. 

Atlanta's core moving forward is Dort, Wiggins, McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu.

Next season, the Hawks are expected to start McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Daniels, Johnson and Okongwu. On paper, that look like a lethal starting five. 

The Hawks haven't won a playoff series since 2021. Let's see if that changes in 2027. 

"I don’t compare ourselves to others," McCollum told HoopsHype about the Hawks' future. "Right now, it’s about focusing on getting better individually and collectively. We can’t control how other teams look. You can control your approach to the game. Teams will get better and evolve.    

"For us, it’s about focusing on improving our intangibles, understanding our schemes, and what Quin wants from us. Then, building on the momentum and experience that we had playing in the playoffs in a big environment on the road and in our home games. We played against a team that won the NBA Finals. All those things help you as you go into a new season."

The Hawks begin the 2026-27 regular season on the road against the Orlando Magic.