Proposed Three-Team Trade Has Atlanta Sending The No. 1 Pick To Portland For Draft Assets, Clint Capela To Detroit

The Atlanta Hawks have found themselves with a ton of options to help remake their team after improbably winning the NBA Draft Lottery. The Hawks only had a 3% chance to win the pick, but vaulted up from having the No. 10 odds to controlling the whole draft.

Because this draft does not have a clear No. 1 prospect, there has been speculation that Atlanta might trade the No. 1 pick. Whether it is to trade down in this draft or to trade for a veteran player, there is the possibility that Atlanta could move the pick, though that is not on the mind of Hawks general manager Landry Fields right now:

"Not even our focus right now. Like... this is a point in time where the opportunity before us is an excellent one and it puts us in position. Positioning is key in this business and that is the position that we have right now, the No. 1 position. We will just keep doing what we do, gather as a group and we will figure this thing out in time."

If they were open to trading the No. 1 pick, what could a possible trade look like? Bleacher Report's Dan Favale had an interesting proposal that involved not one, but two other teams in the deal with the Hawks:

The Trade

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Matisse Thybulle, No. 7, No. 14

Detroit Pistons Receive: Clint Capela

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: No. 1 pick, 2027 second-round pick (less favorable from Brooklyn and Dallas, via Detroit)

Why The Hawks Do It

"Breaking up the No. 1 pick into a mid-lottery selection, end-of-lottery choice and defensive specialist doesn't register as a can't-miss at first glance. Stare at it for a while, and, well, not much changes.

That's the challenge ahead of this draft. It's so difficult to figure out what the Hawks would be passing on by prioritizing cost-controlled depth rather than the could-be-anything shine of every top-five pick.

This is a deal you make if you aren't sold on anyone at the apex of your big board and you're looking to juggle long-term roster management with immediate expectations.

Thybulle showed signs of career-best marksmanship from three this season before tapering off, and Atlanta needs any reliable perimeter defensive activity it can get. His assignments skew smaller, which would create some redundancies if Dejounte Murray sticks around. But he can scale up to larger wings when called upon, and his contract balance is team-friendly (two years, $22.6 million; 2025-26 player option).

Banking two lottery picks would give the Hawks a pair of cost-controlled bodies to develop—a useful approach not only for their future, but for the here and now if they want to give this exact core one more go or poke around bigger-name acquisitions.

Why The Pistons Do It

Detroit can fairly effortlessly carve out more than $60 million in cap space this summer. Starting down the barrel of a lackluster free-agency class, that wiggle room may be best served taking on the semi-unwanted contracts of players who crack its rotation.

Capela fits that bill. At $22.3 million, he isn't being paid like a backup. But he'll be on an expiring contract, so the financial awkwardness would be temporary, if not a non-factor.

The Pistons could look to use him as matching salary in another trade at February's deadline, or they might end up appreciating his presence on the glass while finding utility in the rim-running he can provide when afforded enough space.

Why The Blazers Do It

To save a boatload of money that yanks them outside the luxury-tax territory in which they currently sit.

Oh, yeah: And to partner Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe with Alex Sarr (probably).

Yes, Deandre Ayton is already on this roster. That shouldn't matter. Sarr forecasts as someone with more stretch on offense and mobility on defense. Even if he isn't the Blazers' top choice, netting the No. 1 pick would allow them to head in whichever direction they please.

Forking over a second lottery pick might be unsettling when Portland is so early into its rebuild. Losing Thybulle's defensive peskiness would be a blow, too—particularly when the roster remains light on actual wings.

Still, we're talking about the No. 1 overall pick! This draft class may not be causing people to swoon, but snagging a tippy-top selection is never a bad thing. And if the early impressions of this rookie class let the Blazers ascend to first overall for an ultra-reasonable opportunity cost, they shouldn't hesitate to embrace the risk-reward"

I'll be honest that I am not a fan of this trade for Atlanta. I think Alex Sarr makes a great fit on the team and would make the team better now and in the long run. The only reason that the Hawks would want to make this deal would be because they don't love anyone at the top of the draft and the guy they like most, they might be able to get with the No. 7 pick. Could someone like Donovan Clingan or Matas Buzelis be there for Atlanta with the No. 7 pick? What about Ron Holland? I am not saying there is a zero percent chance they do this, but it would not be a trade that I would make. Thybulle is a nice defensive player, but his woes on offense would make him nothing more than a rotation player for Atlanta.

There are going to be a lot of options on the table for Atlanta this offseason and the front office has a chance to remake this roster and get the franchise going in the right direction.