New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Idea Sends RJ Barrett to Heat, Hawks Add Breakout 3&D 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 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.

The Miami Heat are in danger of being left behind in a crowded Eastern Conference. They essentially added Norman Powell for free as part of a three-team trade that sent Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to Utah while sending John Collins to the Clippers. However, they are counting on Powell and rookie Kasparas Jakuconis to make a significant impact for a team that got crushed in the first round of the 2024-25 playoffs. Miami hasn't made many significant additions and it's fair to wonder whether they can even return to the postseason given the improvements from other teams in the conference. It doesn't help that one of their more aggressive acquistions, point guard Terry Rozier, has completely flopped with the Heat. Rozier's strong play with the Hornets convinced the franchise to send out a lottery-protected 2027 pick that becomes unprotected in 2028 if it doesn't convey.

The Raptors also seem to be adopting a continuity-based approach. They re-signed center Jakob Poetl to a $104 million dollar extension that extends over the next four years, tying him to a core of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram. However, there has been some noise about the Raptors trying to move off of wing RJ Barrett in order to create more salary flexibility. NBA insider Michael Scotto of HoopsHype had this to say about the possibility of a Barrett trade:

"Toronto has also continued to gauge the trade market on RJ Barrett, league sources told HoopsHype"

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: Ochai Agbaji, Jamison Battle

Heat Receive: RJ Barrett

Raptors Receive: Terry Rozier, Mo Gueye, 2029 1st-round pick (top-8 protected, via MIA), 2029 2nd round pick (via CLE, from ATL), 2031 2nd round pick (via ATL)

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Even though Atlanta has made additions to their wing rotation this summer, Agbaji would be an excellent complement to the offseason. Agbaji surged last season, turning into a solid player on offense. He has always been a solid defender, going back to his days on Utah, but his offense was atrocious. Last season, he shot 49.8% from the field and 39.9% from three on four attempts per game. He would be a valuable wing defender to use off the bench and comes at a low cost. Atlanta has already seen how capable 3&D wings can be maximized by playing off of Young - there's no reason to think Agbaji could match or exceed what he showed in Toronto as a member of the Hawks. Battle also played quite well last season for the Raptors as a rookie, shooting 40.5% from deep on 4.4 attempts per game. At 24 years old, he should be able to quickly find a role in the Hawks' rotation as cheap wing depth.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: There is some risk in trading for a player who has only one year of production like Agbaji. Furthermore, he is on an expiring deal, so they would need to figure out an extension or risk losing him for nothing should he play well this season. Gueye also gave the Hawks some needed depth at center and strong defense. It'd be important for them to add an adequate backup to replace him. Battle is also 24 years old and it's highly unlikely he has a lot more development to undergo.

Why the Heat would do this deal: Barrett averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game - there is a chance that he hasn't hit his ceiling yet as he's just turned 25 years old. However, he's a 6'6 wing with a 6'10 wingspan that can play either SG or SF depending on the lineup and shot 35% from three on 5.3 attempts last season. He showed improvements on defense last season and could be a really intriguing sixth man for a Miami team that always seems to get the most out of toolsy players on defense. However, the biggest win for the Heat is to remove Rozier, who wasn't a factor in their rotation. Between Barrett and Powell, Miami should have more sources of offense around Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, leading to becoming a more multi-dimensional team.

Why the Heat would not do this deal: The fit between Barrett, Powell and Herro has a lot of overlapping skillsets and it'd be difficult to find minutes to accomodate everyone. It's more likely that Barrett would be forced to play small forward, which could be a problem given that he isn't an especially intimidating defender against bigger wings.

Why the Raptors would do this deal: Before getting dealt to the Heat, Rozier was averaging 23.2 points and 6.6 assists a game on the Hornets as a central part of their offense. It's clear that he's not as productive of a player on a winning team, but he should still be able to scale into a backup point guard role behind Immanuel Quickley or possibly even start with Quickley. He's an expiring contract after this season, so Toronto isn't cutting into its limited long-term cap space by acquiring him. However, the biggest selling point of this deal is the top-8 protected pick the Raptors are getting from Miami. The Heat are usually good enough to be a play-in or playoffs team, so there's a good chance that pick conveys and gives Toronto another draft selection to either utilize on a talented rookie or in a trade. Gueye is an interesting development project - he showed exciting defensive chops last season in Atlanta. He posted a BLK% of 3.3% (87th percentile) and a STL% of 2.3% (96th percentile). Gueye needs to cut down on fouls, but there's a chance he could develop into a nice backup big man who can slide in at either the 4 or 5 as a standout defender. Although Toronto did sign Sandro Mamukelashvili to be their backup center, Gueye has much more upside and could be the successor to Poetl if he develops well.

Why the Raptors would not do this deal: Rozier's salary is pretty inflated for someone who profiles as more of a bench player and he has been a shell of his former self in Miami. At 31 years old, it's possible the 6'1 guard is already declining athletically and the Raptors get nothing from Rozier on the court.

More Atlanta Hawks News:

New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Nic Claxton to Boston, Hawks Get Key 2024 Celtics Reserve

New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends De'Aaron Fox to Dallas, Hawks Add Wing Depth

Projecting The Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineup And Depth Chart After Their Free Agency Moves

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