NBA trade rumors: Hawks' Paul Millsap is available for trade

In the past couple of days, a name has popped up in just about every basketball website on the internet — Paul Millsap. The Atlanta Hawks' starting power forward is not just another role player, he's actually a three-time National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star and an important cog in the wheel of the team. Therefore, the news came as a surprise to many basketball fans.

ESPN was the first publication to report the news and they revealed that the Hawks were secretly taking calls on Millsap and their other pending free agents including Kyle Korver and Thabo Sefolosha. Apparently, the team was afraid that they might lose Millsap and the other players in free agency next year, so they have decided to act now.

ESPN's Chris Haynes also reported that Millsap has‎ decided to opt out of the final year of his contract, so perhaps the Hawks' might have learned a thing or two when they lost Al Horford to the Boston Celtics last summer without getting anything in return for their troubles. That was a huge blow.

"The feeling within the organization now, sources said, is that it's best to gauge the trade market for Millsap, Korver and Sefolosha between now and the Feb. 23 trade deadline to guard against a repeat scenario," the ESPN report stated.

The surprising thing about this is that the Atlanta Hawks are currently fighting for a playoff spot and a trade may shake up their roster and create chemistry issues. Of course, that situation is still better than losing their free-agent-to-be next summer.

A number of teams with title hopes would love to have a player like Millsap on their roster. The Toronto Raptors have expressed interest in Millsap in the past, and that team definitely needs a power forward. Pascal Siakam is starting at the forward spot for the Raptors, and he's barely making an impact.

The Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns have also expressed interest before, but both teams are struggling right now.

Whoever gets Millsap will get an all-around player who can fit in and help right away.