New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Jalen Duren to Lakers, Hawks Pick Up Backup Point Guard

One of the worst-kept secrets of the offseason is that the Lakers are going to be adding a starting center through trade. At the moment, they don't have the salary cap to outright sign one and they do have tradeable assets that other teams would want. Shooting guard Austin Reaves, who has blossomed into an excellent scorer and facilitator for the Lakers, and first-round picks in 2030 and 2031 stand out as especially promising assets.

However, the Lakers won't spend those assets unless the player is an excellent fit with Luka Doncic and LeBron James as a lob threat or pick-and-roll partner while also having a baseline level of solid defensive ability. They should also be on a reasonable contract because the Lakers are already paying two big contracts in Luka and LeBron. A third max deal would lead to very little wiggle room for LA to operate.

While the Atlanta Hawks have a player who meets all those requirements in Onyeka Okongwu, he won't be traded for anything short of a offer too good to refuse. Okongwu is only 24 years old, played his best basketball down the stretch and is under contract for the next three seasons at around $15.5 million per year. Given that Okongwu will likely be in Atlanta for 2025-26, the Hawks can use this situation to their advantage by taking on salaries in a deal that sends a center to LA. They can either build up their rotation or clear up future salary flexibility by doing this.

One center that is definitely of interest for LA is Jalen Duren. The Pistons' starting center is only 21 years old, but he took strides in his third season as a rebounder and facilitator while turning passes from Cade Cunningham into aggressive buckets in the paint. It's not hard to see how he can pair with passers as gifted as Luke and LeBron, but the Lakers reportedly weren't able to land him at the deadline. NBA insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that the team "inquired" about Duren, but the Pistons decided to hold on to someone they believe is part of their core. However, Buha also mentioned that LA could revisit the idea in the summer.

If the Lakers pulled off a trade for Duren with the Hawks as the third team, what would the potential deal look like? Here's a 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 should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Marcus Sasser, 2027 2nd round pick (via DET, from MIL), 2029 2nd round pick (via DET, from LAC/CHA)

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Jalen Duren

Detroit Pistons Receive: Dalton Knecht, Larry Nance Jr (sign-and trade via ATL on 3 YR contract with $7.5 million in Y1 salary), 2031 top-3 protected first round pick (via LAL)

Why Atlanta does this trade: Neither of Kobe Bufkin, Keaton Wallace or Vit Krejci have definitively established themselves as a reliable backup to Trae Young. Whie that may not sound important, having a good backup for Young allows him to lessen his burden during the regular season and preserve himself for the playoffs. Young had to play heavy minutes practically all season with Achilles tendinits and the Hawks should be taking steps to ensure that doesn't happen again. Sasser is a young guard who put up solid shooting splits of 48.4% from the field and 39.7% from 3 (albeit on imited volume). The Pistons were +2.7 when he was on the court and Sasser upped his STL% to 2.2%. For some reference, a STL% of 2.2% exceeds the STL% of 1.7% that Jrue Holiday put up this year for the Celtics. The minutes are small and the scoring is inconsistent, but there's a solid NBA backup guard in Sasser's profile. The Pistons are going to be prioritizing a bigger role for Jaden Ivey and they already got good minutes from Dennis Schroder and Malik Beasley. If the Hawks can take advantage of Detroit's crowded backcourt, Sasser could turn into a nice find off the bnech for only $2.8 million dollars.

Why Atlanta doesn't do this trade: Nance is a good player who had a quietly effective season for the Hawks. He doesn't turn the ball over (TOV% of 10.1% - 82nd percentile), gets deflections (STL% of 1.8% - 91st percentile) and makes the right pass often (0: 87 AST to USG ratio, 76th percentile). Nance is a helpful player to have on the roster and the Hawks could certainly use the center depth as Dominick Barlow struggled to fill in at the 5 when Okongwu was off the court.

Why Los Angeles does this trade: Last season, Duren took major strides on both ends of the court. He finished with an elite points per 100 shot attempts, scoring 140.4 points per 100 attempts. That graded out in the 95th percentile among all eligible NBA players last season. He shot a career-best 69.2% on two-pointers and turned himself into one of the better offensive rebounders in basketball with a 14.1% OREB% (91st percentile). His screen-setting helped Cunningham have the best 3P% shooting season of his career as Cunningham posted an excellent 37.9% from deep playing with Duren as opposed to the meagre 32.6% he shot without Duren. The young big man thrives next to smart playmakers who can space the floor, which LA has in Luka and LeBron. Duren's defense isn't as strong, but he still had a career-best BLK% of 2.2% this season and played better as a rim protector. Game 5 of Detroit's playoff series against the New York Knicks depicted how Duren can help a team like the Lakers. He had nine points, 14 rebounds and six assists in the Pistons win. He's an all-around center who does everything well except shooting. At only 21 years old, there's a good reason to believe that he hasn't played his best basketball yet and the Lakers have a chance to make him a long-term fixture of their future with this deal.

Why Los Angeles would not do this trade: They still have to pay around $20-25 million dollars per year for Duren after this season and he could ask for even more. Given that he is a non-shooter and the Lakers would be forking over a first-round pick in the deal, that becomes a risky gamble for LA because they practically have to sign him to a new deal. Furthermore, it's also worth noting that giving up Knecht this quickly hurts the team's shooting upside next season.

Why Detroit would do this deal: Getting more draft picks that align with your franchise star's prime gives the team a better chance of capitalizing on that prime through cost-controlled rotation options that fit alongside said star. By not handing Duren a new deal and getting a pick in return for him, the Pistons are setting themselves up to have very clean cap sheets throughout the next four or five years and two first-round picks in 2031. That gives them the flexibility to add more pieces around Cade, including a center who defends better and offers more spacing. For example, they could use their new pick as part of a Myles Turner trade from the Indiana Pacers. However, Detroit also addresses a weakness by adding Knecht to a team that finished 17th in 3P% last season. He shot 37.6% from deep on 4.4 attempts a game as a rookie and was particularly excellent in March, shooting 42% from deep for the month. Knetcht struggled on defense this season and probably won't ever be a plus on defense, but he can give the Pistons some scoring off the bench as a younger and cheaper alternative to Tim Hardaway Jr. Nance can slide in neatly as a backup big in a rotation with Isaiah Stewart as the presumptive starter at center.

Why Detroit wouldn't do this deal: Duren's young age means that he could grow into an excellent center with time and he already proved himself capable of making an impact in the postseason. By contrast, Knecht barely played in the Lakers' first-round matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. If the Pistons lose Duren and Stewart cannot step in as a full-time starter, it could result in a step back next season for one of the NBA's best young teams. Nance is also rather old for a center (32 years old) and missed the back half of the season for the Hawks. It could be a wasted move if he declines extremely quickly in Detroit.

Additional Links

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