New Blockbuster Trade Idea Sends Claxton to ATL, Cam Johnson to OKC As Hawks Land Their Center of the Future

Could the Hawks trade for the Nets center as their big man of the future next to Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher?

Oct 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) handles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

As the NBA season starts to get into full gear, trade candidates are already emerging. The Atlanta Hawks should be exploring their options.

At the moment, the Hawks are solidly within the middle of the Eastern Conference. They are currently the seventh seed with a 7-10 record. While Atlanta has dealt with a large swath of injuries for most of the season, it cannot be ignored that the defense is still largely lacking outside of Dyson Daniels. He is a legitimate DPOY contender and practically a lock for an All-Defense team if he stays healthy, but the team still struggles to close out on shooters from deep. They give up the most threes per game and the highest three-point percentage per game across the NBA. Per Cleaning the Glass, they are 30th in effective field goal percentage conceded. Changes need to be made on defense.

One of the teams that seems most likely to shed some of their veteran talent in favor of rebuilding is the Brooklyn Nets. Although the Nets are 6-10 and could put themselves in contention for a play-in spot by holding on to their veterans, they have made it clear they are interested in a long-term rebuild.

Per Sam Amick of the Athletic, the Nets are widely expected to be sellers at the trade deadline in February.

" League sources say the rebuilding Nets are expected to be open for business, even with this competitive start....in which first-year coach Jordi Fernandez has made good use of the available talent."

If the Nets are available for business, two of the most interesting candidates to be traded are Cameron Johnson and Nic Claxton. Johnson is a 6'8 wing who can hit threes and play solid defense with some passing ability. At the moment, he's averaging 19.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists on 49.8/42.3/91.8 shooting splits. That 42.3% mark from deep is coming on a whopping eight attempts a game. He's comfortably been one of the better shooters in the NBA. However, he's more than just a shooter. This year, Johnson is converting a career-high 78.6% of his shots at the rim as he's shown growth in his finishing. He is one of the more coveted trade candidates in the NBA because of how easily he fits on just about any team.

Claxton isn't quite the shooter Johnson is, but makes up for it as a defensive menace with touch around the rim, a strong IQ and off-ball awareness. This year, he's averaging 8.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.6 assists on a true shooting percentage of 63.4%. Although the numbers are not as impressive as they have been for the last two seasons, he is one of the best shot blockers in the NBA (averaging 3+ blocks for the past two years). The thing that makes him quantitatively different than most defense-oriented centers is his speed. He is fast enough to stay with guards like SGA while being strong enough to take on the Giannis matchup. He isn't an offensive creator like Johnson, but offers a lot as a defensive anchor.

Of these two players, Atlanta is more in need of someone like Claxton. His versatility would pair incredibly well with Jalen Johnson and Daniels, giving the Hawks three plus defenders in their starting lineup. Furthermore, he would also erase some of the problems caused by defenders blowing by Trae Young or Zaccharie Risacher on defense. Johnson would be a good fit on the court, but he is 28 and the Hawks already drafted Risacher to occupy Johnson's role.

That being said, teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder could use Johnson's skillset. After losing center Chet Holmgren to a hip fracture, the Thunder are now very reliant on center Isaiah Hartenstein and lose the advantage of Holmgren-Hartenstein lineups. Johnson isn't a rim protector or offensive creator in the same way that Holmgren is. However, he helps the Thunder's spacing while giving them another defender with size in the lineup. Johnson is also a solid rebounder who can help the Thunder get second-chance points. When Holmgren does return, a potential starting lineup of SGA - Cason Wallace - Jalen Williams - Holmgren - Hartenstein with Johnson and Alex Caruso as rotation pieces who can scale up as starters would be arguably the best in basketball.

It is worth noting that a Claxton trade cannot happen until December of this year. However, if Atlanta's defense still flounders and OKC finds itself in a position to supercharge their lineup, what would a potential 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 Hawks get: Nic Claxton

Brooklyn Nets get: Clint Capela, Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams, Kobe Bufkin, 2026 1st round pick (from OKC, via OKC), 2025 1st round pick (from SAC, via ATL, top-12 protected)

Oklahoma City Thunder get: Cameron Johnson

Why the Hawks would do this deal: They move a pick that they don't control, an expiring contract in Capela and a solid backup point guard for a player that could be their starting center of the future. Claxton's versatile defense fills a need for Atlanta and they still retain Onyeka Okongwu as one of the better backup centers in the league.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: Bufkin is only in his second year and has shown signs of being a significant positive when he is healthy. Furthermore, they lose a chance to add a talented, cheaper piece in a loaded 2025 draft class.

Why the Nets would do this deal: Two first-round picks and two promising young pieces in Lu Dort (25) and Kobe Bufkin (21) for Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton is a good bit of business for Brooklyn as they enter a youth movement centered around draft picks. They also are not taking on any damaging long-term money in this deal.

Why the Nets would not do this deal: They might want a better first-round pick from the Hawks for Claxton and there are legitimate questions over Bufkin's ability to stay on the court.

Why the Thunder would do this deal: Johnson is a good contract that they can package with picks if they want to go get a star. It also opens up a bigger role for Cason Wallace and Dillon Jones, both of whom have intriguing potential, and they are only giving up a mediocre first-rounder to add Johnson. This is a move that might be clunky in December or January, but should pay big dividends in February assuming Holmgren is able to return this year.

Why the Thunder would not do this deal: Johnson is not a center, which is arguably their biggest position of need, and he could struggle to scale down into a limited role.