New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Holiday + Porzingis to Brooklyn, Hawks Add Cam Johnson

Could the Hawks benefit from the Celtics retooling their starting lineup with a big-time trade this summer?

Mar 16, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) goes to the basket against Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Regardless of what happens in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, big changes are on the horizon for the Boston Celtics.

Another season of being in the second apron of cap spending would result in their first-round pick seven years into the future becoming "frozen" and ineligible to be traded. Second apron teams cannot use the mid-level exception, cannot aggregate salaries in trades, cannot take back more salary than they send out in trades, cannot send cash in trades, and cannot sign-and-trade a player for another player. These restrictions are going to be a warning sign for practically every NBA team in the near future.

In the case of the Celtics, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Jaylen Brown are probably safe. However, point guard Jrue Holiday and center Kristaps Porzingis are two obvious candidates to be moved elsewhere. Porzingis is consistently unavailable for Boston and has looked hobbled throughout the 2025 playoffs after he missed most of the championship run. His rim protection and floor spacing is valuable, but the Celtics won't be without either if they move on from him. Holiday's defense is hard to replace - he's one of the best perimeter defenders in basketball and had another solid season for the Celtics. However, it's unlikely he can remain playing at an elite level for many more years considering he's 34 years old.

The Nets currently have two players that would fit on contenders in center Nic Claxton and forward Cameron Johnson. Claxton had a down season, but is one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA and thrives as a finisher in the paint. Johnson is one of the best wing shooters in the NBA, connecting on 39% of the 7.2 threes he attempted per game last season. If they get proper value for both, it's not hard to envision them moving on in favor of younger options. They are firmly in the midst of a rebuild, so moving on from veterans that don't fit their timeline makes a lot of sense.

While the Hawks are neither championship contenders or in the midst of a rebuild, they could use additional depth. Their roster lacked frontcourt depth and shooting last season. The Jalen Johnson injury crippled them while they finished as the 18th-best 3P% shooting team in the NBA. Therefore, adding a froncourt piece that can shoot during this summer's transaction cycle would fit with their current roster.

If the Celtics decided to send two members of their championship core to Brooklyn, how could Atlanta benefit and what would such a deal look like? Here is one possible framework:

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 team should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks receive: Cameron Johnson

Boston Celtics receive: Nic Claxton, De'Anthony Melton (S&T on a 3-YR, $23M contract with a Y1 value of $6.5M)

Brooklyn Nets receive: Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Georges Niang, 2025 1st round pick (via ATL, from LAL), 2030 1st round pick (top-10 protected, via BOS)

Why the Hawks do this trade: On paper, Cameron Johnson is exactly the type of player that can help the Hawks stay afloat during Jalen Johnson's absences from the lineup. He's a better high-volume shooter than the Hawks' usual power forward while also being able to survive on defense against power forwards. Niang's defense left a lot to be desired last year and while Johnson isn't an elite defender, he's a much better player on that end than the 31-year old Niang. He also fits the archetype of player that benefits from the gravity that Trae Young has. Young can find him for catch-and-shoot threes and he takes enough of them to offset the loss of Niang. If Jalen Johnson is in the starting lineup, Cam Johnson can scale down into an effective sixth man role. The Hawks likely won't be able to get a better player at the end of the first round, so giving up this pick for a player that addresses two big needs shouldn't hurt them much.

Why the Hawks do not do this trade: Johnson is owed a salary of $20.5 million for this season, which eats up a lot of cap space for this offseason. The Hawks would be left with around $28 million in cap space under the luxury tax threshold while needing to re-sign Caris LeVert, one of Clint Capela/Larry Nance, a first-round rookie and additional depth. That is a tight budget to work against. Furthermore, Johnson offers a very similar skillset to what the idealized version of Zaccharie Risacher looks like. It's possible that playing both in tandem would prove to be quickly redundant. Furthermore, Johnson isn't the healthiest player either. He hasn't played in 60+ games since being traded to Brooklyn three seasons ago.

Why the Celtics would do this trade: When Nic Claxton is surrounded by elite talent, he tends to thrive. In 2022-23, he posted 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game on a league-leading 70.5% shooting from the field when playing alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The roster has undergone significant changes around him since then and as a result, his numbers have dipped. At his best, he's an excellent defender and rim-runner who has shown signs of a higher offensive ceiling. He'll have plenty of frontcourt defensive help playing next to Jayson Tatum and is under contract for the next three seasons. Considering that Boston wants to remain competitive and has struggled to find reliability in its center spot for years, an engaged version of Claxton could be a long-term answer for them. A healthy version of Melton is a good 3&D player who's especially strong on defense. When he was a 76er, he finished in the 97th percentile for STL% and finished in the 92nd percentile last season as a Warrior. He can replace some of what Holiday brought to the team as a defender for a very reasonable price. The obvious benefit of this deal is that Boston gets out of the second apron and escapes the harsh penalties mentioned earlier.

Why the Celtics would not do this trade: They're giving up a first-round pick in this deal to add two players who have struggled to stay healthy. Melton just came back from offseason knee surgery and Claxton has dealt with a back issue throughout the past two seasons. Neither player has been especially effective in the postseason and the Celtics need players who can hold up throughout multiple rounds of postseason basketball. Furthermore, they still only have $10.5 million dollars of cap space below the second apron to work with. That's not a ton of money to build out their roster this summer.

Why the Nets would do this trade: Getting two first-round picks for players that aren't part of your long-term future is a good bit of buisness for the Nets. Specifically, this transaction would give them a whopping five first-round picks. They'd have enough ammo to trade for future high draft picks or move up for prospects that they are targeting. Holiday and Porzingis are also solid enough players to give the Nets an environment to evaluate their young prospects in. While the Nets aren't trying to get better, Niang is an excellent high-volume shooter who can be flipped at the deadline or provide mentorship to the young players already on Brooklyn's roster. The best part about this deal is that Porzingis and Niang's deals both expire at the end of the 2025-26 season, so they won't be on Brooklyn's cap sheets for an extended period of time.

Why the Nets would not do this trade: Holiday's contract still extends for another three years and could plug up space for the Nets if they draft a young point guard that needs development minutes. In addition, neither of the firsts they are getting seem to be especially strong. The 2025 first-round pick is at the 22nd overall selection and the highest value that the Boston first-round pick in 2031 can reach is the 11th overall selection. While both picks are helpful, they aren't especially juicy for the Nets to be taking on a big deal like Holiday's.

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