New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Idea Sends Chris Paul To San Antonio, Dejounte Murray to Golden State

Could the Hawks and the Warriors talk about a potential trade this offseason?

Jan 24, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) scores a basket against Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NBA offseason is officially underway.

The Boston Celtics capped off a dominant season with a championship and now every other team in the league is going to be trying to catch them (some harder than others). Three teams that are going to be interesting to watch this offseason are going to be the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs. Atlanta has the No. 1 pick in next week's draft, they have to solve the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt one way or another, and other players such as Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic could potentially be on the move.

For the Warriors, it feels like they are going to have to restructure this team around Steph Curry if they want to make another run in the Western Conference before he retires. If Klay Thompson leaves, that becomes even more important. So far, Golden State has not wanted to move any of their young pieces for more help now, but could that change?

The Spurs are in a good, but a kind of tricky spot. They want to start winning with Victor Wembanyama, but how much of the future do you want to sacrifice for players available now? Could the Spurs try to thread the needle and make some moves to make them better, while not sacrificing any of their draft capital?

I have a trade that solves some of these issues for all of these teams.

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

Here is the trade:

Hawks Receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney

Warriors Receive: Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Zach Collins, ATL 2025 First round pick (Via Sacramento, Protected 1-12)

Spurs Receive: Chris Paul

This would be an interesting deal for all sides. While I don't think the Warriors will want to give up Kuminga, I think they. might have to if they want to get players around Curry. If the front office determines they want to do whatever it takes to win as much as they can while they have Curry, they may have to trade Kuminga to get some players. Murray has been speculated as a good fit with Curry and Hunter would replace Wiggins and is on a better contract. Wiggins was pretty bad last season and is not on a great contract. The Hawks could take him back if it meant they get Kuminga and hope that Wiggins gets back to his 2022 form. Collins would give the Warriors a replacement for Looney and one that can stretch the floor, unlike Looney. Hunter struggles with injuries but is a more than capable defender and had his best season as a three-point shooter in 2023-2024. He was also one of the best defenders against Luka Doncic, something that will matter come playoff time.

Players Who Had The Most Success Guarding Luka Doncic This NBA Season (Min. 10 Total DFGA) :

DFG%
1. De’Andre Hunter — 1-11 (9.1%)
2. Vince Williams Jr. — 3-11 (27.3%)
2. Payton Pritchard —… https://t.co/7rhy52zJTE pic.twitter.com/pzul9o0HGJ

— Stat Defender (@statdefender) June 6, 2024

For the Hawks, this would be all about Kuminga, who is starting to play up to his potential and was one of the most improved players in the NBA last year. He is a superb athlete and his offensive game took a leap last season, though his three-point shooting needs work. He would be a great fit with Trae Young and Jalen Johnson, not to mention whoever the Hawks take at No. 1 (Alex Sarr, Donovan Clingan, or Zaccharie Risacher). The best way to build around Young is to surround him with athleticism and length, which is what they are doing here. They also get to keep Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okongwu. To get this done, they would probably need to fork over the top-12 protected pick from the Kings for 2025, which I would do.

The Spurs would be trading Collins for a one-year rental of Chris Paul. Paul seems unlikely to return to Golden State, but he might be a good fit for the Spurs for one season. He is still a very good point guard and would pair nicely with Wembanyama, something the Spurs need. San Antonio could get incrementally better while not sacrificing future assets to land big-time players. While the Spurs will be better this year, they might not be ready to go all in around Wemby just yet.

Who would say no to this trade? My guess would be either the Warriors or the Spurs. I think it would take a lot for Golden State to move Kuminga and Murray might not be the guy to do that. Still, I think he could be the most attainable player for Golden State this summer, but the Hawks should only be interested in acquiring Kuminga. No other player on the Warriors provides any kind of intrigue for them.

The Spurs may opt to get a better point guard than Paul, who struggles with injuries and is obviously older. They could get other point guards while not going all the way in yet.

Is this trade likely? Probably not, but it is not totally out of the realm of possibility. The Warriors might try to go all in around Curry and Murray could be the best available player. San Antonio might really want Paul to be their point guard for a year and then try to acquire someone else next offseason.

There is still a way to go before players start being dealt this offseason, but the Hawks are going to be right in the thick of nearly every conversation in what might be a wild summer.