Just a few months ago, the Hawks were fighting for a place in the Finals, after all, they faced the Bucks who finally won the championship trophy in the Eastern Conference Finals Series, but so far this season, the Hawks have only finished 8th in the East.
While the Competition in the Eastern Conference is indeed more intense than last season, it is also related to the Hawks' decline in form so far this season. Because of this, the Hawks will have a clear need to reinforce this offseason.
As for the Rockets, they are already fully rebuilt, but the Rockets also need to send some veteran players out of the lineup and return players or assets that are of greater benefit to the team's future. So is there a possibility of a push trade between the Hawks and Rockets?
The US media Brett Siegel listed the following trading options in an article:
The Hawks get: Eric Gordon
Rockets get: Danilo Gallinari, 2023 first-round picks (lotto protection)
If the Hawks are interested in a veteran like Eric Gordon, it will almost certainly end Gallinari's career for the Hawks. Of course, Gallinari's overall performance since joining the Hawks has not been bad, but if the Hawks get Gordon, they will need to sacrifice Gallinari's contract.
As for the Rockets being a team in the rebuilding phase, Gallinari doesn't mean much to them, but in this deal, the Rockets can get a return for the 2023 first-round draft pick, which is believed to be the return that the Rockets hope to get.
Overall, if the Hawks trust Eric Gordon to be the veteran player who can help the team, then it's a win-win deal.