New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Bruce Brown to Hawks, Pelicans Land Poetl, Capela to Toronto

Could the Raptors move their starting center in an effort to re-tool their roster? How could the Hawks benefit?

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-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

As we head closer to October, NBA Training Camp is right around the corner. For the time being, most big NBA transactions are probably over. Rumors continue to swirl around players such as Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle and Jimmy Butler, but it seems like everyone is waiting until the trade deadline.

One team that might decide to make a move before the season gets going is the Toronto Raptors. They have constructed their team around the core of RJ Barett, Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes. Any player outside of those three is a candidate to be moved.

Two of the most obvious targets on Toronto's roster include Bruce Brown and Jakob Poetl. Poetl is the starting center for the Raptors, but he could be moved for appropriate value to a team desperately in need of a starting center. Brown struggled after being traded from the Indiana Pacers to Toronto, becoming more of a rotation player instead of the hyper-effective sixth starter he was for the Denver Nuggets.

The Denver version of Brown was a 36% three-point shooter on three attempts a game. Last year, he finished as a 32.3% shooter on two attempts a game in 2023-24. Despite 6'4 with a 6'9 wingspan, he did not grade out as a particularly good defender last year (-1.4 defensive box plus-minus). Conversely, Poetl had a fairly solid 2023-24 campaign. He averaged 11.6 points and 8.8 rebounds on 65% shooting from the field. That led to a good +9.0 net on-off rating, indicating that Poetl was generally a helpful player for Toronto. He was especially good as a screener, working well with both Quickley and Barrett.

Given that Toronto is likely going to finish as a fringe playoff team, it would make sense to move on from players not part of their long-term core if they can get value for them. New Orleans is desperately in need of a starting center while a third team can take on Brown's salary. The Hawks could be that third team.

What would a trade 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 what the trade might look like:

Atlanta Hawks get: Bruce Brown Jr, Chris Boucher

Toronto Raptors get: CJ McCollum, Clint Capela, Jordan Hawkins, Garrison Matthews, 2026 1st round pick swap (from Milwaukee Bucks, via New Orleans Pelicans)

New Orleans Pelicans get: Jakob Poetl, Ochai Agbaji, Bruno Fernando

Why Atlanta would do this trade: The Hawks adding Bruce Brown would give them a pretty deep rotation. At his best, Bruce Brown is a compromise between Dyson Daniels and Bogdan Bogdanovic at the 2. He's a solid defender and respectable shooter. However, the best part of this deal would be getting him for a player that should not be part of their long-term future in Clint Capela. Capela is still a useful player in the right context, but his utility could diminish quickly. It makes sense for them to get what they can for him and build out their rotation. Boucher fills a role as an athletic lob threat who can somewhat shoot.

Why Atlanta would not do this trade: Brown's decline is a worrying sign, especially given his $23 million dollar contract. The Hawks can just not re-sign him after his deal expires at the end of the year, but there is some notable risk involved in getting him. They would also still have an excess of centers, which leads to a lack of maximization of roster spots.

Why Toronto would do this trade: Toronto's spacing is objectively awful. They finished with the fifth-lowest three-pointer frequency and three-point percentage as a team. Sharpshooter Gradey Dick can certainly take a step forward, but adding two legitimate shooters in C.J McCollum and Jordan Hawkins would also significantly improve their spacing. They will almost certainly have to move on from McCollum in the near future, but it should boost their short-term upside. Furthermore, they also get a replacement for Poetl in Capela, who is still a positive as a rebounder. The underrated part of moving on from Poetl is also that it reduces their number of long-term contracts, which is important for a team that is obviously not close to being a top-three seed in their conference.

Why Toronto would not do this trade: The Raptors might see this move as a non-starter given how helpful Poetl is to their team context. He already has context with two of the players the Raptors have committed significant money too. Furthermore, there is also a chance that Toronto holds onto Brown in hopes of flipping him at the deadline after a rebound year. He has the pedigree of being a vital part of a recent championship team.

Why New Orleans would do this trade: As far as starting centers go, Poetl is certainly a helpful player to have. Screening actions with him, Trey Murphy III or even Zion as a ball-handler have plenty of promise. Although he's not an elite defender, he's an upgrade over what the Pelicans have in Daniel Theis. He also gives the Pelicans time to develop Yves Missi since he is under contract for the next three seasons. In short, it represents a possible long-term answer to the center position. Poetl is at his best when surrounded by good defensive personnel - Dejounte Murray, Murphy and Herb Jones are all good to elite defenders who can give Poetl plenty of support. Pelicans fans will want to wait for Jarrett Allen, but Allen either might not be available or become avaliable at a point where the season is already sunk. In terms of centers that are theoretically available right now, it would be difficult to find a better option than Poetl.

Why New Orleans would not do this trade: New Orleans is upgrading from what they have with Poetl, but how much? There's a good chance this is another version of the Zion-Valanciunas pairing, which led to middling results for the Pelicans. I do think Poetl is better than JV, but he is also coming off a season where he missed 32 games. If he continues to decline athletically, the contract and trade could look rough very quickly.

Who says no? I think the Pelicans likely say no in hopes of landing a center that gives them a genuinely different look. Poetl is a fine starter, but he's a non-shooting center who sets screens and grabs rebounds. The Pelicans have seen that player play with Zion before in Jonas Valanciunas and it didn't yield the results they hoped for. Ultimately, their plan is probably to acquire a starting center who can shoot or one that plays elite defense. Poetl does neither.