New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Sends Bogi and Cam Johnson to Oklahoma City, Thunder Form Superteam in West

If Oklahoma City Thunder's vast hoard of draft picks is leveraged in a massive move to build a juggernaut in the Western Conference, how does Atlanta fit in?

Jan 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) shoots the ball over Oklahoma City Thunder forward Lindy Waters III (12) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best rotation players in the NBA in Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Serbian sharpshooter is coming off a fantastic Olympics run where he averaged 18.3 points and 3.8 assists for a +7.1 net rating. He formed a dynamic duo with superstar center Nikola Jokic and nearly toppled a loaded United States men's basketball team in the semifinals round.

It might be time to trade him.

Bogdanovic is one of the most malleable players in the NBA, capable of scaling up as a starter and down as a sixth man. He's a high-volume three-point shooter who shot 37.4% from deep on eight attempts a game. Any contender would be better by having him on their roster. However, his health record is mildly concerning. Although he played in 79 games last year, his last season with 70 or more games played was in 2018-19. His durability was an outlier rather than the norm - it would be fair to expect him to miss more time in 2024-25.

Given that, the Hawks might be better served by selling high on his value. Keeping Bogdanovic definitely gives them a better chance at making the playoffs, but the overall ceiling is limited. I would be surprised if the Hawks were able to get past the first round, favorable injury luck non-withstanding. If Bogi gets injured again and misses time, is his value as high as it currently is?

Should Atlanta decide to move on from Bogdanovic, the Thunder make some sense as a destination. Oklahoma City has an absurd amount of picks and salary cap flexibility to make almost any deal happen. Bogdanovic would be a fantastic sixth or seventh man and seamless fit seamlessly around the Thunder's core of guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forward Jalen Williams and center Chet Holmgren. The time is now for OKC to go for a championship - turning those picks into proven players would be a good way to capitalize on their opportunity.

They can also use this deal to land more proven talent in the form of Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson. With the Hawks as the third team, a deal between the Thunder and Brooklyn becomes very straightforward to execute. How would the trade look?

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: Cason Wallace, Ousmane Dieng, Dillon Jones, 2027 1st round pick (via OKC)

Brooklyn Nets get: Luguentz Dort, Kenrich Williams, 2025 1st round pick (top-five protected, from Philadelphia 76ers, via OKC), 2028 1st round pick (top-8 protected, from Dallas Mavericks, via OKC)

Oklahoma City Thunder get: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Cameron Johnson

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Even if Bogdan is one of Atlanta's best players, this is an absolute haul for his services. As a rookie, Wallace played a pivotal role for the Thunder as one of their best rotation players. He hit on 41% of his attempts from deep and played good defense on Kyrie Irving in the play-offs. Although he does not shoot with the same volume as Bogdanovic (five attempts a game), he can offer a similar skillset despite only being 21 years old. Although he is only a rookie, Dillon Jones showed off some exciting flashes in Summer League. The 6'6 wing out of Weber State dropped 21 points, 7 rebounds and four assists against the Utah Jazz in Summer League. He was the main option at Weber State and could eventually develop into a high-level role player. Atlanta also gets a first-round pick in the deal after sending their own 2027 first-round pick to San Antonio as part of the Dejounte Murray trade.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: There is a chance that Wallace never becomes more than a solid catch-and-shoot wing, which would be slightly disappointing. Dieng, who has not developed into the player OKC envisioned, spent all of last year in the G League to work on his three-point shot. Jones is a rookie who is a completely unknown quantity. The Hawks could value what Bogdanovic brings to their team in 2024-25 over the future potential of these assets.

Why the Nets would do this deal: Johnson's value is not going to be maximized on a Brooklyn team destined for the draft lottery. By flipping him for two first-round picks, they give themselves more ammunition in the draft to build their roster up. They also get Dort in the deal, who is a good defender and is only 25 years old. The chances of him being anything more than a solid 3&D wing are slim, but the Nets could use a two-way player like him. Williams has plenty of experience being on a rebuilding team and can provide a veteran presence to a Nets team short on experience. He is also a good defender at the power forward spot and can stretch the floor (39.7% from deep on two attempts a game). Williams fell out of OKC's rotation, but could take on a larger role with Brooklyn.

Why the Nets would not do this deal: There is almost no reason why they should not do this deal. A contender will likely not give them a player as good as Dort in return for Johnson, so this is one of the best offers they could get for Johnson.

Why the Thunder would do this deal: If OKC was to complete this deal, they should be considered a cut above every single team in the West. That sounds like an exaggeration, but a starting lineup of SGA - Alex Caruso - Jalen Williams - Cam Johnson - Chet Holmgren is easily capable of winning a championship. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a perfect sixth man while the Thunder would still have good rotation players in Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. That's a total of nine players capable of making a post-season impact. It would be one of the best combinations of high-level talent (SGA, Williams, Holmgren) and role players (Caruso, Johnson, Bogdanovic and Holmgren) in the modern NBA.

Why the Thunder would not do this deal: Wallace could have untapped upside, but the Thunder should not waste time finding out. With Williams and Holmgren on cheap rookie deals, the time to win a championship is right now. The only possible way this deal would backfire for OKC is if both players were never healthy or suffered major regression from having a smaller role.

Who says no to this trade? Honestly, I do not think anyone walks away from this deal. Everyone gets what they want and it sets each franchise up for a better pathway forward. Perhaps the Thunder would not value sending out three first-round picks for a non-star, but they are going to have to consolidate those picks at some point. It makes the most sense to do it now when their team is at its cheapest.