New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Bruce Brown and Capela to Lakers, Hawks Get Veteran Big

Could the Hawks be the third team in a Bruce Brown trade to LA by sending Capela to the Western Conference in the deal?

Feb 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) tries to pass against Toronto Raptors forward Bruce Brown (11) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Bruce Brown has certainly racked up his travel miles since leaving the Brooklyn Nets in 2022. He won a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023, left for a $45 million year contract from the Indiana Pacers, got traded to the Toronto Raptors at the deadline in the Pascal Siakam deal and now looks to be subject to trade rumors yet again.

Brown's skillset is certainly valuable. His bench scoring, passing and defense were all crucial to Denver's championship run. Although his overall 2023-24 numbers of 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 32% from three-point range and a true shooting percentage of 56% definitely declined from the prior year, he is still a player that fits on almost any team in the NBA. It is for this reason that the Lakers are interested in his services.

At the trade deadline, NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports mentioned that the Lakers had interest in acquiring Brown from Toronto. Fischer had this to say about Los Angeles' interest in the 6'4 veteran swingman:

"League personnel consistently mentioned two teams to monitor for Brown’s next destination before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline: New York and Los Angeles. Both the Knicks and Lakers pursued Brown as a free agent this past summer, league sources told Yahoo Sports, before Brown ended up taking a ballooned two-year, $45 million offer from Indiana."

According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, that interest has not abated. Siegel had this to say about Brown's avaliability:

“Speaking of the Raptors, they continue to explore the market for interest in veteran swingman Bruce Brown, who is entering the final year of his contract at $23 million. Brown is highly regarded around the league for his positional versatility as well as his ability to make winning plays that don’t always show up in the stats. The 27-year-old held a big role during the Denver Nuggets’ championship run in 2023, and his expiring contract will be appealing to several playoff-contending franchises. The Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks are two teams that showed interest in Brown last season, sources said, and Los Angeles maintains interest in him this offseason."

If Brown was to head to Los Angeles, this could benefit the Hawks. Atlanta does not really need a player like Brown at his salary, but they could take on the contract of Raptors big man Kelly Olynyk to give themselves a deeper rotation in 2024-25. Given that Atlanta needs to supplement its rotation, Toronto wants a fair return for Brown and Los Angeles values Brown's skillset, a three-way trade could make some sense for everyone. What would such a deal 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 gets: Kelly Olynyk, Gradey Dick, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino

Toronto gets: Kobe Bufkin, Garrison Mathews, D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, 2027 1st round pick (least favorable of Milwaukee/New Orleans, via Atlanta), 2031 1st round pick (top-10 protected, via Los Angeles)

Los Angeles gets: Clint Capela, Bruce Brown Jr

Why Atlanta would do this trade: Even though none of these players have incredible upside, they all occupy valuable roles in Atlanta's rotation. Last season, Olynyk shot 39% from three-point range on two attempts a game. He is not an elite shooter, but can hit the open threes generated by Young and Johnson. He also showed off nice connective passing during his time in Toronto and is generally a very helpful player on offense. Bringing him in as a backup to Onyeka Okongwu would be a good insurance policy in case Okongwu struggles. Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino likely will not be more than backup guards who can step in as injury replacements, but keeping Young fresh will be an important part of Atlanta's season. Arguably the most exciting part of this deal is Gradey Dick. Last season, the 6'8 guard caught fire over the last 40 games of the season from three-point range. He made 45% of his movement threes and 36.5% of his overall threes on four attempts a game. When operating alongside a creator like Young, he could feast in the role Kevin Huerter occupied for Atlanta during their Eastern Conference Finals run. Giving up a first-round pick for that kind of upside is a gamble worth taking. Atlanta also moves on from Capela's outsize salary and clears the way for Okongwu to assume a starting workload.

Why Atlanta would not do this trade: Losing Kobe Bufkin and a first-round pick would definitely hurt given Bufkin's potential as a two-way guard and Atlanta's limited draft capital. It might be too soon to send Bufkin out because he was only drafted last year. However, the upside of Gradey Dick as an elite shooter and the connectivity that Olynyk brings make this a deal that improves the Hawks' floor. In a year where they do not own their own pick, that's an important thing to consider.

Why Toronto would do this trade: Getting two first-round picks for a player who does not fit your timeline is good buisness and adds to Toronto's collection of picks. For a team that recently traded away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, they are not as pick-positive as one might expect. Russell's addition helps mitigate the loss of Gradey Dick as a high-volume three-point shooter (41% on seven attempts a game) while also serving as expiring salary that won't handicap the team's future flexibility. Vanderbilt's offensive skills are questionable, but his defensive versatility is not. He can take on the opposing team's best perimeter threat, freeing up Scottie Barnes and R.J. Barrett to take on more offensive duties. He'd instantly be the best bench wing on the roster. Christian Wood is depth at center while Mathews had a nice season from beyond the arc for Atlanta, shooting 44% on three attempts a game. Bufkin has upside as a three-level scorer who can create his own shot in a way that is lacking in Toronto's rotation.

Why Toronto would not do this trade: Even if the archetype of shooters who offer little in terms of ancillary skills (Buddy Hield, for example) are being phased out of postseason rotations, losing Gradey Dick would still hurt the overall spacing of this offense. Russell might be a poor fit with Immanuel Quickley, who the Raptors want to run more offense through. A backcourt of Quickley and Russell is also rather small even if Quickley is a tenacious defender. Vanderbilt's limitations as a shooter could also severely comprise the team's spacing in a way that his defense cannot mask.

Why Los Angeles would do this trade: With this move, Los Angeles' starting lineup is much more complementary around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They would likely run a lineup of James - Austin Reaves - Hachimura - Davis - Capela with Brown as the sixth man, but there are plenty of lineup options available for Los Angeles. It reduces the pressure on rookie Dalton Knecht to immediately be a good wing shooter and it puts the ball in LeBron's hands as the primary decision maker for the offense. Capela can serve as an adequate rim protector and free up Davis to be a roamer on defense. Furthermore, Capela is also one of the better rebounders in the NBA, posting the sixth-highest contested rebounding percentage in the NBA at 46.8%. As evidenced by the recent USA Basketball exhibition games in preparation for the Olympics, James and Davis are still one of the best basketball duos in the world. Acquiring Capela would be a step in improving the surrounding pieces around that duo.

Why Los Angeles would not do this trade: Although this keeps Knecht from the pressure of being the sixth man for a team with title hopes, he and Max Christie are going to be the seventh and eighth men if this deal were to happen. Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes offer some depth, but it is still a rather uninspiring bench with a lot of questions. Capela is also a pure rim-runner at this stage of his career who offers very little on offense. He can function in the pick-and-roll, but cannot be relied on for any sort of spacing. Brown is also coming off a down season and it remains to be seen if he can recapture his Denver form. If he does not, this deal could go sideways quickly.