New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Garland to Lakers, Cavs Add Size and Shooting, Hawks Land Rui

Could the Hawks add help at the wing position in order to reduce the load on Risacher as a rookie?

Nov 28, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives against Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Although the NBA offseason is winding down, one or two big-time moves can still go down. Those moves have the potential to significantly change the trajectory of the NBA season, like the Celtics acquiring Jrue Holiday in late October to make themselves the best roster in the league.

A Darius Garland trade has the potential to be one of those moves. The fifth-year guard had a down year where he was in and out of the lineup. Outside of a few bright moments, Garland also struggled in the post-season against the Celtics and Magic. Still, he averaged 18 points, 6.5 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.3 steals on 37% from behind the arc and a true shooting percentage of 56%. The former All-Star is still one of the league's best passers and his court vision is incredibly impressive.

Back in May, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Garland would request a trade if Donovan Mitchell re-signed with Cleveland. Around a week ago, Garland stated those rumors were exactly that - rumors - in a conversation with Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“I don’t want to be traded. Those are just rumors.”

After Mitchell's three-year, $150.3 million dollar extension, new head coach Kenny Atkinson spoke about specifically utilizing his All-Star backcourt in an apparent admission that Garland would be on the roster with Cleveland.com. In reality, it's more likely that the Cavs have not gotten an offer they like for Garland since his backcourt fit with Mitchell at the levels of post-season basketball has always been somewhat questionable.

“The way I look at it is we have two All-Star guards. It’s on the coaching staff to figure that out. You put that responsibility on yourself. And they have fit before.”

The Los Angeles Lakers are at a crossroads - they are undoubtedly in win-now mode and have secured the LeBron James-Anthony Davis tandem for the next two years. However, there is no clear star for them to add. Trae Young was initially thought to be one of those stars, but the Hawks just traded away Dejounte Murray in an apparent retooling of the roster around Young. It's true that general manager Landry Fields has not explicitly commited to Young, but a Young trade does not seem very likely this summer. He could be acquired at the trade deadline or next summer, but LA is running out of time.

Atlanta is in a situation where this year needs to be treated as one of re-tooling. They are not in a position to acquire someone like Darius Garland. A backcourt of Garland and Young would be, to put it lightly, horrendous on defense. Nor does it maximize either player's strengths on offense. However, being a part of a trade for Garland as the third team puts them in a position to supplement their rotaton for a playoff push. The players they acquire should have size and ideally shooting to pair with Young and their potential All-Star forward, Jalen Johnson.

Given the needs of all three teams, could a deal be struck between them? Here's what a potential trade that meets some of each roster's needs could look like:

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks should do or will do. That is all.

Hawks get: Georges Niang, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 2nd round pick (via Cleveland)

Cavs get: Larry Nance Jr, D'Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, 2026 1st-round pick (via Los Angeles, top-5 protected)

Lakers get: DeAndre Hunter, Garrison Mathews, Darius Garland, 2025 2nd round pick (via Minnesota, via Atlanta), 2026 2nd round pick (via Memphis, via Atlanta)

Why the Hawks would do this trade: The could field a starting lineup of Young - Risacher - Johnson - Hachimura - Okongwu/Capela. Outside of Young, every player in that lineup would be over 6'8 and capable of hitting three-pointers if Okongwu gets the starting nod. The concern with starting Dyson Daniels next to Trae Young is Daniels' career 31% figure as a three-point shooter. Those concerns are somewhat alleviated by Risacher, who shot 39% from three-point range with JL Bourg and projects to have two-way potential. His shot did not look as good in Summer League, but he only played two games and showed good mechanics when he did shoot. They could also bring Risacher/Hachimura off the bench and play Bogdan Bogdanovic more minutes. Whether he does so as a starter or backup, Hachimura immediately steps into Hunter's role at a lower salary. He's a strong defender with length with some ability to create his own shot. He played best in a starting role for the Lakers, averaging 15.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 44.4% three-point shooting when he was given starting minutes at the midseason mark. Niang is a bench shooter who can provide an offensive spark to any lineup while Jalen Hood-Schifino is injury insurance for Kobe Bufkin. They also free up long-term cap space by moving on from Hunter's contract.

Why the Hawks would not do this trade: While Niang and Hood-Schifino could be solid pieces for Atlanta, they are both coming off disappointing years for their previous teams. Not getting anything from $11 million dollars in cap space is a legitimate and worrying possibility.

Why Cleveland would do this deal: Larry Nance Jr, Jarred Vanderbilt and D'Angelo Russell all have very clear fits on this team. Nance is the connective big who does all the little things - setting screens, playing hard and making good decisions with the ball. He is not a high-level three-point shooter, but does enough to keep the defense honest from beyond the arc (33% shooting percentage from three). Cleveland is familiar with Nance from his 2018-2021 stint with the team and it would be a nice reunion that makes sense on paper. He can play backup center minutes behind Mobley and Allen. Vanderbilt's offensive skills are questionable, but his defensive versatility is impressive. He can take on the opposing team's best perimeter threat, which reduces the load on Donovan Mitchell and frees up Evan Mobley to take on bigs. Russell is a high-volume shooter from beyond the arc (41% on seven attempts a game) who can benefit from some of the attention Mitchell draws. He's a solid passer as well. Vincent had a really strong season for the Heat in 2022-23, but fell off completely with the Lakers due to injuries last year. Still, I think he's more than capable of being a bench guard for this team. Cleveland also gets a valuable 1st-round pick to use in any future moves they want to do.

Why Cleveland would not do this deal: 112.5. That was Russell's defensive rating last year, which was fifth-worst on the Lakers. Putting him next to Mitchell is a backcourt pairing that is very susceptible to being targeted on defense. If Vanderbilt and Vincent cannot stay healthy, this acquisition could also be a ill-fated one for the Cavaliers. The loss of Garland's passing is also important to consider. Even if he did not have a strong season, Garland improves offensive function through his creative dimes. Having two guards who are good playmakers is of immense benefit to any offense. Perhaps they can mitigate these defensive concerns by rolling out a lineup of Mitchell - Vanderbilt - Max Strus - Evan Mobley - Nance Jr/Allen, but the offensive potential of that lineup would be somewhat capped.

Why the Lakers would do this deal: A Lakers trio of Garland - James - AD makes a ton of sense offensively. Garland is a more talented version of what Rajon Rondo gave the Lakers during their championship run and he'd be fully capable of capitalizing on the offensive gravity of James and Davis. Although he did not post the same three-point numbers as Russell, he was a 41% three-point shooter on six attempts a game in 2022-23. I'd expect him to get back to similar numbers in LA. Hunter and Mathews are wings who can shoot on good volume and fit around stars. Both had good shooting seasons for the Hawks and Hunter is a solid defender on the perimeter. With better defensive support around him than what he had in Atlanta, I think Hunter could be a very good defender while getting the starting minutes his salary mandates. A lineup of Garland - Austin Reaves - Hunter - James - Davis is not a lock for the Finals, but it would make them more competitive in a tight Western Conference. Only sacrificing one pick to do it makes the deal even better. Although stars move at practically every transaction cycle, the likelihood of one better than Garland becoming avaliable at the deadline or next offseason is practically non-existent outside of Young and potentially Jimmy Butler. Both players are better than Garland, but is the difference worth the massive amount of money/assets either player would demand?

Why the Lakers would not do this deal: Outside of Dalton Knecht and Max Christie, the Lakers would have almost no depth that could potentially play in the postseason. Knecht is a rookie, so it's unknown whether he can hold up on both ends of the court. Garland also has three years remaining on a 5-year, $197 million dollar deal and that will severely reduce the Lakers flexibility in the coming seasons. Hunter's health has to be questioned at this point as he's played under 70 games in every season of his career so far. Add that to his expensive contract and this deal has the potential to wreck the last two years of the Davis-James tandem.