New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Kevin Durant to Lakers, Hawks Add Rotation Wing

The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the basketball world by swapping Anthony Davis out for Luka Doncic at this year's trade deadline. Could they do it again by acquiring Kevin Durant this summer?

To be clear, the Lakers have a massive need at center. Their first-round loss to the Timberwolves showed that a center rotation of Jaxson Hayes, Alex Len and Dorian Finney-Smith is not sufficient to make it through multiple series of playoff basketball. However, rather than swapping out Austin Reaves for a center as trade rumors would suggest, the Lakers might go in another direction entirely and go all-in on upgrading their offense.

The Phoenix Suns are desperate to move on from Durant and will likely take a reasonable offer that somewhat aligns with the future Hall of Famer's preferences. This is because they have one of the most expensive rosters in basketball while missing the playoffs entirely in 2024-25. Even so, it doesn't sound like the offers Phoenix gets will be as enticing as Durant's reputation would suggest. NBA insider Marc Stein had this to say about a Durant trade:

"In speaking with various teams, Kevin Durant's departure via trade in coming weeks is frequently described as an inevitability. Yet there is also no shortage of cautious prognostication in circulation about the sort of package Phoenix can get back for Durant compared to what it surrendered to acquire him in February 2023.....It is not uncommon, two years and change later, to hear that some potential suitors are willing to make trade pitches for Durant with no assurances than the 36-year-old stays beyond the 2025-26 season."

If the price for Durant is indeed a one-year rental, then a fair offer might just include some rotation pieces and a solid pick. In that case, the only limit to a Durant trade becomes financial. As it so happens, LA can make enough space for such a move if they make aggressive changes to their roster.

The Hawks have a ton of financial flexibility this summer, which they can use to address their needs at interior defense, front court depth, shooting, and maybe a backup lead guard/ball handler. NBA insider Marc Stein has already reported that Atlanta could also look to be facilitators this summer in the trade market due to their financial flexibility, depending on if the team brings back any of Caris LeVert, Clint Capela, or Larry Nance. They would be an ideal third team for this trade because they can take on the salary needed from Phoenix's end to make this deal happen.

Given the needs of all three teams, what would a trade between them look like? Here is one possible framework for a deal.

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: Royce O'Neale, 2026 2nd round pick (via DEN or GSW, from PHX)

Phoenix Suns Receive: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber, 2031 1st round pick (unprotected, via LAL)

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Kevin Durant, Ryan Dunn

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Adding O'Neale should strengthen Atlanta's frontcourt depth, defense and shooting. He's a 6'6 wing who can slot in as either a SF or PF, which means he can stand in as a replacement for Jalen Johnson if Johnson gets hurt again. O'Neale shot a career-best 40.6% from deep on 5.9 attempts per game, so he brings real spacing to the Hawks. For reference, he finished in the 91st percentile for 3P% across all forwards. On defense, he can hold his own against most wings and competes as a defensive rebounder with a DREB% of 14.6% last season. He's a veteran player who should thrive playing off a point guard like Trae Young due to getting tons of catch-and-shoot opportunities. Quin Snyder is also familiar with O'Neale from his days with the Utah Jazz, so he should be able to fit the veteran wing into his system with ease.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: The concern with O'Neale is his age. He's 31 years old and has already shown signs of decline on defense. Furthermore, he's under contract for the next three seasons and it could be difficult to move off of that contract should the decline come quicker than anticipated. O'Neale is also a fairly one-dimensional scorer - he only shot 31% from midrange and 64% at the rim last season. If his three-pointer isn't falling, he doesn't offer a ton of consistent offense and that could be a problem given that the Hawks have a somewhat similar player in Georges Niang.

Why the Suns would do this deal: Phoenix did not have much depth last season because they were shouldering three $50+ million dollar contracts in Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. Hachimura can fit into Durant's spot in the starting lineup and brings an interesting wrinkle to Phoenix's rotation because he can also play the five in small-ball lineups. He averaged 13.1 points and 5.0 rebounds on 41.3% shooting from deep while taking 4.2 attempts per game. Hachimura performed well in the Lakers' series against the Timberwolves despite playing against a massive lineup and there's reason to believe he can help Phoenix make a push for the playoffs. Furthermore, Vanderbilt is a superb isolation defender who should help a struggling Suns perimeter defense that got torched last season. It's hard to predict what to expect from Vincent or Kleber, but Vincent has been a solid perimeter defender who can occasionally hit threes in the past while Kleber can be a playable backup center who offers a little bit of floor spacing. The main attractiveness of the deal for Phoenix is two-fold - around $40 million of the salary they are bringing on expires next season and they get a possibly good first-round pick from the Lakers in 2031 to make the move happen.

Why the Suns would not do this deal: It's highly possible that Kleber and Vincent end up returning practically no value for the Suns and Rui is targetable on defense due to not being the fastest or smartest defender in spite of his frame. Furthermore, they are also giving up on a young wing with tons of defensive potential in Dunn, which is troubling considering that they could use a long-term answer at the SF/PF spot.

Why the Lakers would do this deal: There's no question that a starting lineup of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Dorian Finney-Smith and Kevin Durant should finish the year as one of the five best offenses in basketball. Four of those players are capable of generating their own offense and all of them are good passers as well. Although Durant isn't a true center, he's almost seven feet tall and can go up against centers at times should the situation call for it. Despite his age, he hasn't declined much as a scorer. Last season, KD averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 52.7/43/83.9 shooting splits. He is going to be 37 years old by the time next season starts, but it is clear to see how he could open the floor up even more for Luka and LeBron to operate due to the respect he demands as a shooter. Dunn was a rookie last season and struggled on offense, but he brings a very intriguing defensive skillset to any lineup he is a part of. He's 6'7 with a 7'1 wingspan and it shows up in his perimeter defense, which is excellent. His shot is a massive work in progress - he shot 31.1% from deep and 48.7% from the line as a rookie. However, he won't have to contribute much on offense when he is surrounded by players as talented as James, Doncic and Durant. Furthermore, this deal also gives the Lakers some room to work with under the second apron. They can still pull off a trade for another rotation wing or two to fill out their second unit without going over the second apron. If LeBron declines his option and re-signs on a cheaper deal that allows the Lakers more financial flexibility, it would give LA even more money to build out their rotation and cement themselves as contenders in the Western Conference.

Why the Lakers would not do this deal: Forking over an unprotected 2031 first-round pick always carries a decent bit of risk and LA is pushing in the chips on a one to two-year run with a big three of James, Doncic and Durant. Durant is about as plug-and-play as it gets, but it's hardly controversial to state that he's underachieved in both Brooklyn and Phoenix. It's fair to wonder if this roster really needs another expensive scorer rather than an influx of two-way complementary talent that fits around James, Doncic and Reaves.

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