New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Kuminga to Heat, Hawks Get Versatile Backcourt Piece

The NBA offseason is in full swing and multiple teams have made aggressive moves to improve themselves ahead of the 2025-26 season. By all accounts, the Atlanta Hawks have been among the most improved teams on paper.

One week after trading for Kristaps Porzingis and drafting Asa Newell, Atlanta reached a pair of huge free agent signings The Hawks signed 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. Not only that, but they 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 Warriors have been heavily linked to Celtics center Al Horford, but it's possible that they won't be able to land him. The Nuggets might have access to their full mid-level exception if recent acquisition Jonas Valanciunas decides to go overseas and they would be heavily interested in the veteran big man. Outside of that, Golden State has been very quiet in both the trade and free agency marketplace. They still need to reach a resolution on the Jonathan Kuminga situation - the 22 year-old forward wants a new contact, but he doesn't seem to be a good fit with the Warriors' system. Hence, it would make sense for both sides to agree to a trade. However, Golden State has not gotten an offer that it likes yet.

Per Anthony Slater of the Athletic, the Warriors have a firm price for Kuminga.

The Golden State Warriors, according to league sources, have been searching for a promising young player plus a first-round pick in return for Kuminga, should they ultimately choose to part with him in a sign-and-trade scenario. They extended the $7.9 million qualifying offer to the 22-year-old wing and maintain the ability to match any contract he signs.

The Heat have been very quiet this offseason, but they need to make moves in order to keep pace with an active Eastern Conference. One possible option could be acquiring Kuminga.

Slater had this to say about Miami's interest:

"The Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets have varying levels of interest."

If the Heat do end up pulling off a big trade for Kuminga, it would give them a young talent who should be able to fill in alongside Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. However, because both Miami and Golden State are working within tight cap constraints, the inclusion of a third team would make some sense. Atlanta could be that third team - they still have a $13.1 million dollar TPE from the Bogdan Bogdanovic deal.

Given the needs of all three teams, what would a trade between them 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 teams should do or will do. That is all.

Hawks Receive: Moses Moody, 2031 2nd round pick (via GSW), 2032 2nd round pick (via GSW)

Warriors Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Pelle Larsson, Mo Gueye, 2031 first-round pick (top-8 protected)

Heat Receive: Jonathan Kuminga (S&T on 4 YR, $80 M contract), Trayce Jackson-Davis

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Even after adding Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Hawks could use one more wing who can spell Dyson Daniels at SG. Although Daniels played in a career-high 76 games last season, he missed 20+ games in his previous two seasons and the Hawks cannot afford to have such a pivotal piece go down due to injury. Moody has been a 36.7% career three-point shooter throughout his first four NBA seasons and shot an excellent 72% at the rim last season (82nd percentile among all wings). He's 6'6 with a massive 7'0 wingspan that he uses to force deflections, adding to an already strong perimeter defense flanked by Daniels and NAW. Furthermore, he's on a cost-controlled deal for the next three seasons.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: Moody's contract hampers their future flexibility, which is important to consider because they need to budget for an extension for Daniels and possibly, Trae Young. Furthermore, he's often been hampered by injuries and there has always been some reluctance by Steve Kerr to play him heavy minutes. There is also the question of working out minutes for him on a suddenly-deep Hawks team.

Why the Warriors would do this deal: Wiggins was only sent out in the Jimmy Butler deal because of the opportunity cost of bringing a player like Butler onboard. If they were able to pair Curry with Wiggins, Butler and Green, that gives the Warriors three capable defenders on the perimeter while also giving them a capable third option in a stacked Western Conference. Larsson has the size to play either SF or SG, which means he can step into Moody's role. The Swedish guard played good defense against small guards and big wings, showing signs of being a viable player in the postseason. Importantly, he's also a great cutter and should fit smoothly into Golden State's system. 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. The Warriors need more size and Gueye brings that. They also get an intriguing 2031 first-round pick that could convey because the Heat are often a playoff team.

Why the Warriors would not do this deal: They might not want to move such a key reserve from their team and invest a lot of hope into two relatively unproven rookies. Furthermore, they are sending out a backup center in Trayce Jackson-Davis, so they are net neutral in terms of frontcourt additions.

Why the Heat would do this deal: Jonathan Kuminga's flashes of potential are incredibly tantalizing. With Curry out in the Minnesota series, he dropped 30 points in Game 3 against a very strong Timberwolves defense. He's an incredibly athletic wing who converted on 72% of his attempts at the rim last season, good for the 87th percentile relative to all wings. One of his most useful skills is drawing tons of contact - he finished last season in the 94th percentile among wings for percentage of shots fouled on (16,5%). Although he's not a great defender, he has tons of defensive potential that shows up in spurts. Miami has a well-earned reputation for getting players to improve their defense and Kuminga's athleticism would be a very interesting development project for them. He's only 22 years old and on a fairly tradeable contract should the deal not work out. Jackson-Davis fell out of the Warriors' rotation last season, but he's been a good player when his number is called. As a rookie, he averaged 1.1 blocks and had impressive defensive performances like blocking Giannis three times in one game. However, Quinten Post took his role this season and Jackson-Davis was relegated to a bench role. In the Warriors' Game 2 loss to the Wolves, Jackson-Davis got more minutes and scored 15 points while grabbing six rebounds. He's a complete non-shooter, but he can be a lob threat and capable defender if given an opportunity. Miami needs more backup big depth behind Bam Adebayo and Ke'el Ware.

Why the Heat would not do this deal: Even though Kuminga's deal is around what a starting wing would cost, the problem is that it's not clear whether he can be an additive starter. The Heat would be giving him a long-term extension based on his potential and that's always a risk. They are also possibly giving up a 2031 first-rounder to bring him in if the selection falls outside of the protected range.

More Atlanta Hawks News:

New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Bradley Beal to Sacramento, DeMar DeRozan to Phoenix

New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends LeBron James to Golden State, Jonathan Kuminga To The Lakers

New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Andrew Wiggins + Jaime Jaquez to The Lakers, Rui Hachimura To Miami

Have the Hawks Positioned Themselves as a Top-Four Team in the East with Their Recent Moves?