New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Idea Sends Lauri Markkanen to Spurs, Fox to Utah, Hawks Get Bench Wing

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 second 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.

The San Antonio Spurs landed the second overall pick as one of the worst teams in the NBA, but that was largely due to superstar center Victor Wembanyama missing the second half of the season with deep vein thrombosis. Now, they have a young backcourt built around former Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle, who just won the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year award. That means that the Spurs don't necessarily have a clear role for De'Aaron Fox, who they traded for last year at the trade deadline. Fox is a former All-Star and All-NBA caliber player, so it's not unthinkable that they would be able to fetch a decent return for him if they included him in a trade. The Spurs signed Luke Kornet and traded for Kelly Olynyk this season, but they are heavily reliant on Harrison Barnes staying healthy and Jeremy Sochan taking another step in his development. It's possible they could make a big trade in order to bring some help in the frontcourt for Wemby.

One player that could change the Spurs' fortunes ahead of next season is Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen was one of the most desirable players on the trade market last summer, but he had a down season last year due to injury and he's already 28 years old. The Jazz are no closer to being a playoff team after the moves they made this summer to offload productive veterans like Collin Sexton and John Collins. Moving off Markkanen would allow them to add more draft capital and build their roster in a way that aligns with their timeline.

So how about a deal where each team 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: Svi Mykhailiuk

Spurs Receive: Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, 2027 1st-round pick (via LAL, from UTA, top-4 protected)

Jazz Receive: De'Aaron Fox, Jeremy Sochan, 2027 1st-round pick (via ATL, from SAS, unprotected), 2029 1st-round pick (via SAS, unprotected), 2029 2nd round pick (via ATL)

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Mykhailiuk is a solid bench wing who averaged 8.8 points per game and shot 80% from the charity stripe. He competes hard on both ends and has championship experience from his time with the Celtics. The Hawks seem to placing a premium on playoff experience by bringing in a championship contributor in Kristaps Porzingis and a playoff rotation player in Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Adding veterans with that type of experience is helpful for Atlanta and Mykhailiuk would be very cheap to get.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: It's possible that the Hawks would prioritize minutes for rookie Asa Newell and Vit Krejci over the possiblity of bringing in another veteran forward and Mykhailiuk is signed through the next three years. Even though it's a miniscule amount, his contract would cut into the flexibility the Hawks are trying to preserve for a Dyson Daniels extension and possibly, a new Trae Young deal.

Why the Spurs 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. San Antonio finished 20th in 3P% and struggled to find floor spacing to complement Wemby, Swapping out Fox for Markkanen would fit better with their roster and he'd be instantly able to start at PF, which improves their depth because they can bring Barnes off the bench. George struggled to make an impact as a starter in Utah, but he's a solid candidate to be a long-term rotation player for San Antonio. He's only 21 years old and shot 34.3% from deep on high volume (7.6 attempts per game). Given that the Spurs are closer to winning than Utah, it's possible that the change in scenery could improve George's play. They also keep a 2027 first-rounder in the deal.

Why the Spurs would not do this deal: San Antonio does have a lot of future cap flexibility, but they would be adding a max contract to their books with this deal. 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. The Spurs are also dealing two unprotected first-round picks that will be within Wemby's cost-controlled seasons.

Why the Jazz would do this deal: After getting traded to San Antonio, the roster around De'Aaron Fox quickly fell apart due to injuries. It's hard to grade him too harshly for the decreased output of 19.7 points and 6.8 assists on 44.6/27.4/81.9 shooting splits. However, Fox averaged 25 points and 6.1 assists on 46.9/32.2/82.9 shooting splits in the 45 games prior to being dealt, so it's clear that he can handle a large scoring role when the pieces are reasonable around him. He would instantly form a fun backcourt duo with Isaiah Collier while giving Walter Clayton Jr time to develop. The best part of acquiring Fox for Utah is that he can depart next summer for a team that wants to make winning move and has ample amounts of cap space. He'd be a one-year rental for the Jazz with little downside for either party. New general manager Austin Ainge has said that the Jazz will not be tanking this season and Fox can help them do that without hampering their future flexibility. Sochan is a good flyer for the Jazz to take on - he's a great defender that has taken strides as a shooter. Given that they lost John Collins, Sochan is a very interesting candidate to step into that role and he's only 22 years old.

Why the Jazz would not do this deal: Utah still has a pretty crowded backcourt with Clayton and Collier - if they are trading Markkanen, it would make more sense for them to exclusively add frontcourt pieces. Giving up a lightly protected Lakers first-rounder also has a chance of being a mistake if they cannot build around Luka and he struggles to stay healthy.

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