NBA trade proposal sends DeMar DeRozan to Hawks, Zaccharie Risacher to Kings

File this under interesting. Risky. And something that might make sense.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey floated a hypothetical trade that would send DeMar DeRozan from the Sacramento Kings to the Atlanta Hawks.

The framework:

Kings get: Zaccharie Risacher, Gabe Vincent
Hawks get: DeRozan and a 2027 second-round pick

Let’s start here: Atlanta would essentially be saying the time is now. (Obviously, any deal couldn’t happen until summer, though.)

Nevertheless, pair DeRozan with Jalen Johnson and Jonathan Kuminga. Let him stabilize second units. Close games when needed. Score when things bog down — which they inevitably do in the playoffs.

At 36, DeRozan isn’t who he was. But 18.2 points per night on nearly 50 percent shooting still travels. Especially in the East, where structure and halfcourt scoring always matter.

Bailey’s angle? Risacher hasn’t popped yet. Johnson has. Why wait?

“Johnson is ready to win now,” Bailey wrote. “Having DeMar DeRozan available to run reserve lineups could help Atlanta do that.”

There’s logic there.

From Sacramento’s side, this would be a youth pivot. Risacher is still upside. Vincent is rotation depth. And DeRozan is entering the final year of a $25.7 million deal next season.

The Kings aren’t competing. That’s obvious. The Hawks? They’re stuck between building and pushing.

This move would choose a direction.

Would it work? Depends on role acceptance and defensive buy-in. But as offseason hypotheticals go, this one at least asks the right question:

Are the Hawks ready to stop waiting?