New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Idea Sends Lauri Markkanen to Detroit, Hawks Add Backup Point Guard

Although it's always difficult to predict exactly how the offseason will affect the upcoming NBA season, it seems clear that the Eastern Conference is going to be up for grabs. The Indiana Pacers won the conference last year in one of the most surprising championship runs in recent memory, but they are going to be without Tyrese Haliburton for the year. The Boston Celtics have always been a force in the Eastern Conference, but Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles injury in the secon round and will miss the upcoming season. The Bucks made a big move to add Myles Turner, but they had to cut Damian Lillard to do it. In short, the only three teams that seem to be locks for postseason returns are the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers. That leaves an opportunity for several teams to take advantage.

The Atlanta Hawks are certainly doing their best to seize that opportunity. After trading for Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis and drafting Georgia power forward Asa Newell, Atlanta reached a pair of huge free agent signings. The Hawks signed a marquee free agent in Wolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a four-year, $62 million deal in a sign and trade that sent a 2027 2nd-round pick (via CLE) to the Wolves. Then, the Hawks signed free agent guard Luke Kennard to a one-year, $11 million deal. They also got an unprotected first-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans in a draft-night trade. Given the massive injuries in the Eastern Conference next season, it seems that the Atlanta Hawks are going for it and making moves to put themselves in position to contend. One area they could still use some depth is at small forward or another ball-handler.

One team that seems to be in danger of losing its spot in the Eastern Conference race is the Detroit Pistons. Detroit had a somewhat surprising run to the playoffs spurred by an All-NBA season from point guard Cade Cunningham. They secured the sixth seed due to the lack of separation between the middle of the conference. However, the Magic making an aggressive trade for Desmond Bane and the Hawks' recent set of moves have complicated the postseason odds for the Pistons. It's very likely that Detroit could fall to the play-in next season or even out of the postseason picture entirely if the Philadelphia 76ers or Miami Heat return to their usual form. After losing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder, Pistons GM Trajan Langdon has replaced those veterans with former Hawks sixth man Caris LeVert and Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson. Those are fine acquisitions, but neither are likely to improve the Pistons ceiling. Given the opportunity next season, it would be worth it for the Pistons to try for a player that could change their trajectory and match the other acquistions in the East.

That player could be Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen was one of the hottest names on the trade market last summer before inking a five-year, $238 million dollar deal to remain in Utah. However, the Jazz are still going through the rebuilding process and don't seem to be close to maximizing Markkanen's skillset with their current roster. If they received the right offer for Markkanen, they should consider moving him.

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.

Hawks Receive: Marcus Sasser

Pistons Receive: Lauri Markkanen, 2027 2nd round pick (via CLE, from ATL)

Jazz Receive: Tobias Harris, 2027 1st-round pick (unprotected, via DET), 2028 1st-round pick swap (via DET), 2029 1st-round pick (unprotected, via DET),

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Sasser is an intriguing add as the backup point guard. Although he's undersized at 6'2, he's a reasonably solid defender. Sasser posted a respectable STL% of 2.2% last season and while he's still learning how to playmake, he could compete for the Hawks' backup point guard job with Kobe Bufkin. Atlanta has not added another ball-handler yet and Sasser would be a low-cost addition to help fill that need. At only $2.8 million dollars next season, Atlanta is taking on very little risk with this move.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: Sasser is extremely undersized and hasn't really shown anything as a passer throughout his time in Detroit. He also hasn't shown enough as a scorer for him to be relied upon as a significant scoring option in relief minutes. Furthermore, he is already almost 25 years old and it's difficult to project much further upside for him due to his size and age.

Why the Pistons would do this deal: Markkanen was one of the most desirable players after the 2023-24 season due to a fantastic season where he averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds on 63% TS, 40% from three on eight attempts per game and 41.4 percent on catch-and-shoot threes. Swapping him in for Harris would be an instant upgrade and his down season last year still yielded 19 points and 5.9 rebounds on 42.3/34.6/87.6 shooting splits despite struggling with injuries for most of the year. He's a massive wing who can line up at either SF or PF, firmly in his prime at 28 years old and he's already signed for the next four seasons. Detroit really needed more outside shooting in its starting lineup last season - they finished 17th in 3P% during the regular season and 14th (out of 16) in the postseason. Markkanen would take some pressure off of Cade Cunningham and allow the Pistons to play non-shooters like Jalen Duren or Ausar Thompson with more regularity.

Why the Pistons would not do this deal: They would be adding a max contract to their books and it's one of the heftier ones because Markkanen's deal comes in at almost 30% of the cap next season. It's a lot of money to devote towards a player that has no postseason history and could struggle to perform up to his contract in the playoffs.

Why the Jazz would do this deal: They free up tons of future cap space while also getting two completely unprotected first-round picks to add to their draft capital stash. Those could be instrumental in the rebuilding process or be flipped for veterans if the Jazz are able to make a leap into the postseason over the next few seasons. Utah still hasn't found its franchise player after moving on from Donovan Mitchell and these picks could land that player. Furthermore, Harris is a solid replacement for Markkanen. He averaged 13 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Pistons last season on 57.1 TS%. He isn't nearly the shooter that the Finnish wing is, but his deal expires at the end of the season. That makes him a candidate to be flipped at the deadline if he plays well. Even if he stays with Utah for 2025-26, he won't have any long-term impact on the Jazz's cap sheet. That sets them up to have ample cap space next offseason and possibly add more talent around their budding young roster.

Why the Jazz would not do this deal: Markkanen is their most valuable player and the best part of their team in the post-Mitchell era. Moving on from him would have to be carefully considered and it's possible that they may not see this price as enough for the value that he brings. It's also possible that they may want to keep him in order to create a good development environment for their young talent.

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