New Three-Team Mock Trade Idea Sends De'Aaron Fox +Jonthan Kuminga to Brooklyn, Hawks Land Nic Claxton

Would this three-team trade proposal make sense for the Hawks?

Apr 3, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) dribbles the ball towards the basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The NBA season wrapped up this past Sunday, but preparations for the next campaign are going to start soon. The NBA Draft is four days away and there are already plenty of trade rumors flying about the league.

One team that figures to feature prominently this offseason is the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta has a young core of Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, two first- round picks, including the No. 8 overall pick, and plenty of financial flexibility to make moves this summer. There are different avenues for the Hawks to take to improve their team, and what they decide to do will no doubt be intriguing.

Two other teams that will be talked about this offseason are the Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs of course are the league runners ups after losing in five games to the New York Knicks and while they have some of the best young talent in the league, they might have a De'Aaron Fox problem to solve.

Fox did not have the best performance in the Finals and given the presence of Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle, not to mention the massive contract that will kick in soon for Fox, it might be time for the Spurs to turn the keys over to Harper and move Fox so they can let their young point guard grow.

The Nets are going to have loads of financial flexibility this summer, as well as the No. 6 pick of the draft. This team is dying for real star talent and since they do not own their own 2027 draft pick, they might be ready to start acquiring better players after a few years of tanking.

Here is a trade that could work for all three teams.

The Trade

Hawks receive: Nic Claxton

Spurs receive: Michael Porter Jr and Terance Mann

Nets Receive: De'Aaron Fox, Jonathan Kuminga, a 2027 2nd round pick (via ATL), a 2028 1st round pick (via SAS, BOS swap rights), and a 2029 unprotected 1st round pick swap (via SAS)

Why this trade makes sense

Mar 31, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) reacts after being called for a travel during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Hawks have already been reportedly gauging the trade value for Kuminga this offseason and while he could be back with the team, his tenure with the Hawks was up and down. At his best, Kuminga could pressure the rim, get to the foul line, and play good defense. He was the top bench option for the Hawks, but his poor decision-making and shooting on offense did not always make him the best fit with the players on the court.

Atlanta could use his $24.3 million team option to try and add to the center position this offseason. The Hawks have only Onyeka Okongwu as a guaranteed contract at the position, but even with a talented player like him, the Hawks need to add and get bigger and find more interior defense.

Nic Claxton has not been able to reach his 2022-2023 level of defensive play in the past couple of seasons and is not an elite rebounder, but he is on a reasonable contract that has only two years left, protects the rim, and is a real lob threat on offense. If the Hawks don't love the idea of bringing back Kuminga, they could look into acquiring Claxton.

For the Spurs, this might seem like a steep price to pay, but getting off Fox's contract might not be easy without attaching draft capital to the deal. Porter Jr would be exactly what this team needed though in the Finals and Mann's contract is nearly over. Taking on his money might be a stipulation of the Nets taking back Fox.

Moving Fox clears the way for Harper and gives the Spurs an elite scorer and shooter, which are the kind of skillsets that are needed around Victor Wembanyama.

For the Nets, getting more picks to add to their stockpile of draft assets, retaining the No. 6 pick, and acquiring a really good player in Fox would be a nice way to restart their roster while still giving them plenty of assets and space to add to their team in what is a pivotal offseasoan.

The Hawks are going to have multiple options to add to the center spot this offseason and I think Claxton could be one of those options who could help the Hawks defense and if he can turn back the clock to when he was a defensive player of the year candidate, this might be a major steal for the Hawks.