Recent rumors have emerged that the Atlanta Hawks are ready to trade Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, or Thabo Sefolosha before this season's trade deadline.

According to ESPN, the Hawks are currently "listening to trade pitches" for three-time NBA All-Star Millsap as well as their other "pending free agents", namely Korver and Sefolosha.

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Atlanta lost former starting center Al Horford to the Boston Celtics during the recent free-agency period. It was reported that Horford's departure was a surprise for the club's senior officials and they were thinking that the four-time NBA All-Star "got away for nothing" despite pulling off a deal to acquire Dwight Howard during the same summer.

With that, the Hawks are said to be more cautious about their incoming free agents this summer and are preparing to "guard against a repeat scenario".

There are rumors that the Hawks are leaning on assessing the trade market for the trio between now and the Feb. 23 deadline and that they would be open to trading anyone or all of them if a satisfying deal would be reached.

Last season, Atlanta finished the regular season with a 48-34 record, a big drop from their 60-22 during the previous season, and was swept by eventual champions Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals. The team is currently fifth in the Eastern Conference at the moment with an 18-16 record, eight games behind the East-leading Cavs.

Basketball Insiders mentioned three teams that could potentially approach the Hawks for Millsap, and they are the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, and Denver Nuggets.

Toronto is still looking for an ideal starting power forward and Millsap is said to be a great fit with the backcourt tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.

Portland is reportedly also searching for a power forward to complement with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. The report said that the Blazers want someone with "veteran toughness and know-how" and Millsap fits the bill again.

Meanwhile, Denver is also a team that needs veteran leadership with youngsters Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic now leading the squad. The Nuggets could offer Kenneth Faried and Danilo Gallinari, two players who are also in the rumor mill, for Millsap.

TagsNBA Trade Rumors, NBA Trade Rumors 2017, Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks, Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha