Al Horford

5 teams that should trade for Paul Millsap

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:06 p.m. ET

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If the Atlanta Hawks are prepared to put forward Paul Millsap on the trade block, here are five teams that should make a deal for him.

With an 18-16 record, which is good for fifth in the Eastern Conference right now, the Atlanta Hawks don’t stand out as sellers in the weeks leading into the NBA trade deadline. But Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN have reported the Hawks are listening to trade offers, with forward Paul Millsap among the three players specifically mentioned.

Millsap is making a shade over $20 million this season, with a player option for next season. There are conflicting reports about Millsap exercising the option, and the Hawks are apparently concerned about losing Millsap for nothing in the same fashion they lost Al Horford last offseason.

Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday morning that Millsap is not on the trade block. But that doesn’t mean a lot, since the Hawks could be doing simple due diligence to see what might be out there.

Depending on how the next month-plus goes for the Hawks, Millsap may be among the biggest names rumored to be on the move. If he is made available, here are five teams that should trade for Millsap.

5. Indiana Pacers

The head coaching change from Frank Vogel to Nate McMillan has not got quite as planned for the Pacers. They are clinging to eighth place in the Eastern Conference, with a 17-18 record, and star Paul George recently expressed frustration with how things are going.

It may take a little more time for new additions Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young and Al Jefferson to coalesce with George, and adding another new face to the mix may not help that. But it’s rare someone like Millsap is available, even as a short-term answer, so the Pacers should be among the teams ready to make an offer for him.

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4. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are proving there is indeed life after Kevin Durant, with a 21-13 record that has them tied for fourth in the Western Conference right now. But they clearly go as Russell Westbrook goes, with his triple-double averages (30.9 points, 10.7 assists and 10.5 rebounds per game) outpacing everyone else on the team by nearly 15 points, eight assists and nearly three rebounds per contest.

Millsap is a well-rounded player, and a multi-category contributor (17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season). He also seems to be the perfect complementary player, or secondary star really, who would not battle Westbrook for prominence and would clearly know his lane.

It’s unclear if Millsap’s contract status would affect the Thunder’s interest in him, but he could be convinced to opt-in for 2017-18 to form a formidable duo with Westbrook. With a top-half of the Western Conference playoff seed within reach, Oklahoma City could attempt to push some chips to the middle of the table and make a deal for Millsap.

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3. Denver Nuggets

Windhorst and Stein have suggested Atlanta’s asking price may be a roadblock to a trade for Millsap, while also noting advanced trade talks with the Nuggets last summer.

With a 14-19 record, Denver is tied for eighth in the Western Conference right now and they have a lot of depth with little star power. Center Jusuf Nurkic has fallen out of coach Mike Malone’s rotation recently, and forward Kenneth Faried has been the subject of trade rumors off and on for seemingly forever. Shooting guard Will Barton could also be dangled as a trade chip, if only to make room for rookie Jamal Murray to play more.

Depending on how they view themselves this year, and perhaps into next season, the Nuggets seem to be well-positioned to consolidate some of their pieces into a deal for Millsap and match his salary. It may come down to a perceived chance to get Millsap to exercise his contract option for 2017-18, but the Nuggets can make a solid trade offer to the Hawks.

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2. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are trending down right now, with seven losses in their last nine games to drop to 16-20 and 11th place in the Eastern Conference. Head coach/team president Stan Van Gundy has publicly expressed frustration with his team, while also saying he is not currently looking at the trade market.

Van Gundy can be expected to say he is not looking at trades, and it’s probably in his best interest to keep up that façade right now. But things need to start turning around with the Pistons as currently constructed, or changes could and should be looked at when the trade deadline gets close.

Backup center Aron Baynes suffered an ankle injury on Sunday night, and if he misses more than a game or two Detroit’s frontcourt depth will face a re-shuffling of roles. That would not necessarily mean a trade is coming, let alone a deal of any real significance in terms of a big name. But Millsap is an obvious upgrade talent-wise, regardless of how he might fit in, and the Pistons should have him on their possible trade wish list.

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1. Toronto Raptors

The Raptors have shown previous interest in Millsap, both as a free agent before he signed with the Hawks and as recently as last February’s trade deadline. So it’s not a reach to think that interest will be re-ignited now, especially with injuries to Jared Sullinger (foot) and more recently Patrick Patterson (knee) thinning their power forward depth.

Toronto could easily stand pat, and be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the East come playoff time with the backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan as the driving forces. They did reach the Eastern Conference Finals last year, but three of the Raptors’ four losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers in that series were by at least 26 points with the other a 19-point setback.

A move to add Millsap would be a sign the Raptors are going all-in for this year. Lowry also has a contract option for next season ($12 million), which he can surely do better than on the open market in a longer deal next summer. Toronto’s competitive window may be closing, at least looking ahead to 2017-18, so Millsap has to be on their radar once again.