New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Idea Sends Rudy Gobert to Dallas, Hawks Add Jaden McDaniels

After being eliminated by the eventual NBA champions in a blowout Game 5 loss, the Minnesota Timberwolves have become one of the most interesting teams of the offseason. They tried to make a big trade for Kevin Durant, but the Suns star rebuffed them and instead elected for a move to the Houston Rockets. Durant was traded to Houston in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks.

Now, the Timberwolves have to make a decision on the future of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is due for an extension, while also negotiating an extension for center Naz Reid and planning for an impending Julius Randle decision on his $30 million player option for next season. If they want to keep all three this offseason, big changes may have to be under consideration. They are right below the first apron line of the salary cap and only have around $13 million dollars to work with before they are in the dreaded second apron.

Randle had a solid showing for Minnesota throughout their run and he played well on both ends of the floor. He excelled in difficult matchups against Draymond Green and LeBron James - his combination of strength and scoring will be difficult to replace for the Timberwolves next year. If they wanted to keep him, could they look into moving on from Jaden McDaniels?

The young power forward has been a critical part of Minnesota's status as contenders over the past two seasons, but if they can get significant draft capital back for him, they could explore a trade in an effort to build a sustainable core around Anthony Edwards. 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 McDaniels into for this season. At only 25 years old, he would fit with their timeline and make them one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference next season.

McDaniels isn't the only player of Minnesota's core that could be on the move this summer. Rudy Gobert has been a great defensive anchor for the Timberwolves, but he has significant limitations as an offensive contributor. If they want to create more flexibility around Edwards and can find an appropriate defensive replacement for cheaper, the Wolves could explore that option. The Dallas Mavericks have pledged to build a strong defensive core in the wake of the Doncic trade and while they already have a crowded frontcourt, they could add Gobert as it allows them to play Davis at the 4 without sacrificing anything on defense. Furthermore, their backcourt is extremely thin next season due to the loss of Kyrie Irving for a significant portion of next season.

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: Jaden McDaniels, Caleb Martin

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Terance Mann, Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, Mo Gueye, 2025 1st round pick (via SAC, from ATL, #13), 2028 1st-round pick (via ATL, unprotected), 2031 first-round pick swap (via ATL)

Dallas Mavericks Receive: Rudy Gobert, Rob Dillingham, Vit Krejci, 2028 1st-round pick swap (via MIN)

Why the Hawks would do this: Jaden McDaniels is one of the best defenders in basketball - he finished last season with a BLK% of 1.5% (88th percentile among all forwards) and a STL% of 1.8% (80th percentile) while using his 6'10 frame to match up with almost anyone on the perimeter. He played great defense on Luka Doncic in the Lakers series and has enough size to bully smaller players on offense. McDaniels has grown into a very capable third option throughout his time in Minnesota - he averaged 12.2 points and 5.7 rebounds on 56 TS% last season while suiting up for all 82 games. Considering the Hawks' season has been sunk by injuries to Jalen Johnson for two straight seasons, having someone who allows Johnson to play SF and reduces his workload on defense would be very helpful. He's under contract for the next four years and he's still 24 years old, meaning that he would easily fit with the young core the Hawks are building. Martin had a down season last year, but he has tons of playoff experience from his time with the Heat and he's under contract for the next three seasons at a reasonable price for a bench wing.

Why the Hawks would not do this: McDaniels is a poor shooter (career 34.8% three-point shooter on 3.5 attempts per game) and the Hawks may not be able to play him with Johnson and Daniels. Martin is also an inconsistent shooter and his defense was not good last season, so there's a good chance that his contract quickly becomes bad money. Furthermore, it blocks minutes for Zaccharie Risacher in the starting lineup and the Hawks would have to use Risacher as a sixth man, which might impede his development. There is also a risk associated with sending out two unprotected first-round picks and a pick swap considering that Atlanta does not have a surplus of picks at the moment.

Why the Timberwolves would do this: If the Wolves are moving on from McDaniels and Gobert, they need to be getting back a PF and C who can be two-way contributors along with draft pick compensation. Gafford is similar to Gobert in terms of offensive role, but he's six years younger than operates perfectly as a rim-runner who can work as a pick-and-roll partner for Anthony Edwards. He's an excellent finisher inside the paint, hitting 72% of his attempts at the rim (84th percentile relative to position), and grabbed 13.6% of available offensive rebounds last season (90th percentile relative to position). On defense, he finished last season with a stellar BLK% of 3.9% (96th percentile relative to position) and holds his own against most bigs. The combo of Gafford and Naz Reid together would be an excellent double-big lineup. Washington averaged 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc on 4.2 attempts per game. Even if he isn't the defender that McDaniels is, he's incredibly versatile on defense and he's only 27 years old, so he could play himself into a new contract. Mann offers some good depth in both the backcourt and frontcourt who can play solid defense and work well as a cutter. 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. Minnesota also adds some more assets with two first-round picks, including a late lottery pick in 2025 that could net them additional depth.

Why the Timberwolves would not do this deal: Gobert has a significant role on the team due to his role as a defensive anchor and McDaniels is the team's defensive stopper. It would be a big overhaul of their defense in only one summer and Minnesota's defense is a core part of its identity. This might be too much change for a roster that just made the WCF.

Why the Mavericks would do this deal: They form one of the best defensive pairings in basketball between Gobert and Anthony Davis, also freeing up Davis to be a roamer and help defender at the 4. It also prevents them from having to play Flagg at the 4 as a rookie while he adjusts to NBA physicality and it improves their defense enough to give them a realistic chance at contention in the West. Dillingham is an excellent upside bet for the Mavericks - he can be the eventual successor to Kyrie Irving and the Mavs get a chance to evaluate him with a bigger role this season as Irving recovers. Krejci isn't a household name, but he shot over 40% from three for the second straight season, going for a career-high 43.7% this season on an average of 3.6 attempts per game. In fact, Krejci ranked in the 92nd percentile in three-point accuracy per Cleaning the Glass. He was a deadly accurate shooter and that was how he was most effective for the Hawks.

Why the Mavericks would not do this deal: Outside of the fact that his contract stretches for another three seasons and he doesn't entirely fit Dallas's timeline with Flagg, it needs to be considered whether Gobert can still deliver elite defensive impact. Last season, his BLK% was 2.3% (73rd percentile), his fgOR% was 11.3% (78th percentile) and his fgDR% was 20.1% (68th percentile). While solid, all of those numbers were either at or above the 90th percentile last season. There's no value to doing this deal if Gobert can't remain a high-level defender throughout the life of his contract, and there's a chance that he won't be able to deliver on that.

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