New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Forms New Big Three In Atlanta as Kevin Durant Heads to the 404

Could the Hawks pull off a blockbuster move by trading for Kevin Durant - and make themselves into Eastern Conference contenders?

Feb 2, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) drives on Atlanta Hawks forward Saddiq Bey (41) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks have already had a pretty eventful summer. They've added good rotation pieces to the roster in Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr, traded away former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, drafted Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick, re-signed Vit Krejci on a long-term deal and signed Summer League standout Keaton Wallace to a two-way contract.

However, one of the most impactful decisions they made didn't involve a transaction at all. That would be their choice to hold onto All-Star point guard Trae Young, who is now established as Atlanta's franchise player for the foreseeable future. With Young at the helm, Atlanta will not enter a rebuild in 2024-25. He is too good to keep them from getting a top-10 pick. Even if the Hawks bottomed out this year, they would not reap the benefits of their record because they traded control over their 2025 pick.

When acquiring Murray from the Spurs ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Hawks sent out unprotected first-round picks in the 2025 and 2027 drafts. They also sent a first-round pick swap in the 2026 draft. Essentially, the Hawks do not have control over their own first-round pick for the next three seasons. As a result, it doesn't really make a lot of sense for them to go through a rebuild by bottoming out unless they get a massive haul of picks in a Young trade.

Why not make the team as good as possible over the next three years by acquiring Kevin Durant?

It might be easier than it appears at first glance. While the Hawks are in a tough situation, the Phoenix Suns are going through problems that would make Atlanta blush. They are $45.7 million dollars over the luxury tax and $36 million dollars over the dreaded second apron. Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are all making $50+ million dollars, the team's rotational depth is questionable at best and they finished sixth in the Western Conference last year before a first-round sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Add that to the fact that they have only five picks - total - in the next five years and just waived Nassir Little in a way that will pay him his $21.8 million dollar salary over the next seven years. This team does not have a realistic shot of winning a championship anytime soon and the Suns front office should recognize that sooner rather than later. The easiest way to rectify their mistake would be by moving on from Kevin Durant. Beal's contract is simply untradeable given the level of player he is now - good, not great production for a $50 million dollar player - and Booker has been the Suns' franchise player since he was drafted in 2015.

Trading Durant is more complex than it sounds. He's still a very good player, averaging 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and five assists on a true shooting percentage of 62.6% across 75 games. However, he is going to turn 36 years old before the upcoming season. It's just not reasonable to expect that he'll be close to the player who won 2 Finals MVPs with the Warriors or went toe-to-toe with the Milwaukee Bucks during their 2021 championship run. Durant is still an All-Star caliber forward, but time is undoubtedly running out. His salary of $51.1 million dollars makes him a tough player to trade for since most playoff teams cannot afford to take on that contract.

Fortunately, the Hawks are one of the rare teams that can afford to do so by including a third team in the deal. Ideally, a team with needs at the wing position and center position would take on the salaries of DeAndre Hunter and Clint Capela to facilitate the deal. The Golden State Warriors happen to be a perfect candidate.

What would a deal between the three teams 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.

Here is the trade.

Atlanta Hawks get: Kevin Durant, Buddy Hield, Kevon Looney

Golden State Warriors get: Clint Capela, DeAndre Hunter

Phoenix Suns get: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Andrew Wiggins, 2025 1st round pick (via Golden State Warriors, top-4 protected), 2025 1st round pick (from Los Angeles Lakers via Hawks, unprotected)

Why the Hawks would do this deal: If the Hawks truly believe in Trae Young as their franchise player who can take them to the NBA Finals, surrounding him with a wing duo of Kevin Durant and Jalen Johnson is an excellent way to test that theory. Durant is one of the most portable players in the NBA - he's essentially a super-size version of Bogdanovic's skillset. The 6'11 forward is a high-volume shooter who can create offense for himself from just about any spot on the floor. Atlanta can hand off more challenging defensive assignments to either Dyson Daniels or Johnson, freeing up Durant to supercharge Atlanta's offense. It keeps the Hawks competitive for a minimum of the next two years, at which point Durant can decide what he wants to do in his age-38 season. Trading for Durant would also increase their chances of keeping Young around, which may or not may be a priority for the Hawks front office. From a basketball standpoint, it's hard to envision a player that would fit around Trae Young better than Kevin Durant. Buddy Hield and Kevon Looney are fine rotation pieces, but ultimately change little for the Hawks. Hield can bolster some of the bench shooting and set good screens for Young to operate, but he is coming off of a down year in Philadelphia. Looney is a solid backup big for Onyeka Okongwu.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: Durant's injury history has to be factored into acquiring him. He was extremely healthy last season, playing in 75 games after never playing more than 60 during his time with the Nets. However, the Hawks have to expect that he's going to miss 10-15 games during the season at a minimum. That would mean relying more on Zaccharie Risacher in Year 1, which could be a risky proposition. Atlanta is also decreasing its chances of finding an impact player in the 2025 draft by sending out their only guaranteed pick in what appears to be a pretty loaded class.

Why the Warriors would do this deal: Capela is a solid defender and above-average rebounder who can give the Warriors more size. He's played around a heliocentric guard for essentially his entire career, going from James Harden to Trae Young, so the Warriors could find some utility for him as a pick-and-roll partner for Steph Curry. It also reduces their reliance on promising rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis taking a leap in Year 2. Hunter is a solid 3&D wing who just had arguably a career-best season. His shooting numbers (38% on 5 attempts a game in 2023-24) and solid perimeter defense would fit on a variety of teams. Perhaps most importantly, Golden State clears the Andrew Wiggins contract from their books and adds a younger wing in his place who can offer some of the same skills.

Why the Warriors would not do this deal: If they're sending out a first-round pick and being involved in this deal, they would probably want to get Durant themselves. However, they've been hesitant to deal their two best young players, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, all summer. If they do not want to put those players on the table, this might be one of the better ways they can supplement their roster. It is also true that Capela and Hunter are not exactly high-interest players. Back in July, The Athletic's John Hollinger had this to say about both players:

”Of course, I say all this as if the Hawks are done dealing. Are they? Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter rumors have subsisted for ages, but the general consensus from league sources is that the Hawks can’t get any meaningful return for them.”

Why the Suns would do this deal: Any expectations of the Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and multiple first-round picks package that Phoenix sent for Durant's services should be quashed if they end up deciding to trade him. Durant's age and contract place a cap on the package they can expect to receive. However, I think this package is reasonable for Phoenix. They get two guaranteed first-round picks in a very talented 2025 draft class and one of the NBA's best rotation players in Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic is an incredibly talented off-ball shooter who should have natural synergy with Devin Booker. Although Wiggins has not looked the same since the 2022 Finals, a change in scenery could be what unlocks him into being the two-way force he has been in years past. Between Beal, Booker and Bogdanovic, Wiggins will not be relied on as a primary or secondary creator and can focus on getting his defense back to its previous levels. Phoenix also removes $7.6 million from its books, which sets them up for more moves in the future to get back into a reasonably healthy financial picture.

Why the Suns would not do this deal: Not getting back any young players in the trade for Durant undoubtedly stings. I think this would be their biggest hang-up as they would want someone with the potential to be a second or third star to fill some of Durant's production. They are also making another gamble on the Wiggins contract, which is a major risk for them.

Who ultimately walks away from this deal? I think the Suns would because they are not getting a young player who could develop into a second or third star. The deal might get done if Kuminga was involved, but the Suns would need a player to headline the package. I doubt they see Bogdan as that player. I also think there would be some hesitancy from Golden State's perspective because Hunter's contract could also be a net-negative.