New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Idea Sends Jalen Green to Brooklyn, Hawks Add A New Wing

The Phoenix Suns made one of the bigger moves of the offseason when they sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster deal that broke right before Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Durant is headed to Houston in exchange for Phoenix receiving Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks. As a result, the Suns have a crowded backcourt in Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the newly acquired Green.

This would be a very interesting roster construction because Green and Beal are locked into being either the PG or SG while Booker can only really play SF in a pinch. They also don't have a reliable PF next season because Ryan Dunn's offense is still a work in progress and the center position remains unsolved beyond Nick Richards as a temporary solution. While they have the 10th overall pick and the 22nd overall pick, there remains no guarantee that Phoenix will able to get the players it's targeting at those selections.

John Gambadaro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix dispelled the idea that Green would be re-routed to a third team, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of the Suns changing their mind if they get an offer they like.

The Suns do not plan to trade Jalen Green, he is expected to play alongside Devin Booker in the backcourt.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) June 22, 2025

Brooklyn is an interesting candidate for Phoenix to solve their frontcourt problems. They have ample amounts of cap space and could take on Green's deal for the appropriate price while also having a whopping four selections in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. It would likely be best if they either traded up or used those selections to add interesting young talent. Green certainly profiles as that, so there may be some interest in acquiring him if the price is reasonable. At the very least, they need some contracts to remain at the salary floor. They also need to resolve the Cam Johnson situation - he played very well for the Nets, but he's 28 and could fetch major assets in a trade if he was dealt.

One team that could be interested are the Atlanta Hawks. They have $40 million in salary under the tax line this season and also have access to a massive $25 million traded player cap exception that they can fit Johnson into for this season. The Hawks have had their season sunk by an injury to Jalen Johnson for two straight seasons, so it makes sense to add someone who could serve as injury insurance while making Atlanta's wing rotation stronger.

So how about a trade where each of these teams tries to fill a need?

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 or any other teams should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Cameron Johnson

Phoenix Suns Receive: Nic Claxton, Georges Niang, 2025 1st round pick (via NYK, from BKN, #26)

Brooklyn Nets Receive: Jalen Green, Grayson Allen, 2025 1st round pick (via LAL, from ATL, #22), 2029 1st round pick (via UTA/CLE/MIN), 2030 1st round pick (via ATL, top-5 protected)

Why the Hawks would do this: Johnson averaged 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 47.5/39/89.3% shooting splits last season, just falling short of a 50-40-90 season. He's one of the best wing shooters in the NBA and also shot 71% at the rim last season, finishing in the 82nd percentile. Johnson also saw more opportunities to be a playmaker last season and took advantage by posting a career-best AST% of 17.8%, good for the 85th percentile among all wings. He can scale up to being a starter or scale down into being a bench piece while giving the Hawks tons of optionality on how to deploy Zaccharie Risacher and Jalen Johnson. He's not a standout defender, but he's very solid on that end and should give them more at that spot than Niang. Furthermore, Johnson is under contract for the next two seasons and that gives the Hawks some more certainty heading into this season.

Why the Hawks would not do this: They are sending two first-round picks out for a player who has only cracked 65+ games in a season once in his career. The Hawks have had a ton of trouble staying healthy in recent years - Johnson isn't the most durable player and it's fair to consider that when evaluating whether he can be injury insurance for Jalen Johnson.

Why the Suns would do this: At his best, Claxton is an excellent shot-blocker with defensive versatility and hints of a more expanded scoring skillset. During the 2022-23 season, he led the league in FG% and finished 9th in DPOY voting because he averaged 3.0 blocks per game and routinely took on difficult defensive assignments. He also grabbed 11.1 rebounds a night and looked like one of the best young centers in basketball. Since then, he hasn't been as effective, but playing alongside Devin Booker could bring out some of his previous form. While they are sending out an effective shooter in Grayson Allen, Niang is also a great floor-spacer who has shot above 40% from deep on respectable volume for six out of the nine years of his career. He brings more size than Allen and gives them a PF who can contribute offensively, which the Suns do not have on their roster at the moment. Losing Kevin Durant means that the Suns are going to be taking a step back on offense and it's important to bring in players who can replace some of Durant's production in the aggregate. They also get another late first in this year's draft to add cost-controlled talent.

Why the Suns would not do this: They are sending out a first-rounder in this deal and that always has to be considered a risk because of how few picks they have. Furthermore, Claxton is under contract for the next three seasons and there's a chance that contract becomes a problem if they aren't able to make other rooms to clear cap space.

Why the Nets would do this: The Nets replace Johnson with two shooters who can replace some of his production and help them meet the salary floor. While Green was very inconsistent for the Rockets, he still averaged 21 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 42.3/35.4/81.3% shooting splits. He is capable of being the primary scoring option for a rebuilding team like Brooklyn and he's young enough to theoretically be a contributor to the Nets' future if he can be more consistent and improve his efficiency. Allen has shot above 42% from deep for each of the past two seasons and the Nets could use more shooting, considering that they finished 25th in 3P% last season. However, the best part of this deal is the Nets building up even more future draft capital by taking on three first-round picks. One of them can be used in a possible trade-up while the other two are far out in the future and will become critical if Brooklyn can build a contending roster.

Why the Nets would not do this: Stripping away most of their already-thin offensive infrastructure and inserting Green into the lineup doesn't seem like a great way for him to improve his efficiency and the Nets are sacrificing significant long-term cap space for this move.

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