Facilitating the Giannis Trade Adds A Defensive Superstar To The Hawks In New Three-Team Trade Idea

The Timberwolves are going to need more assets if they want to land Giannis Antetokounmpo by this deadline - could the Hawks help in exchange for one of the game's best defenders?

Dec 31, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) dunks against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

By now, it seems like momentum is growing for the Milwaukee Bucks to deal Giannis Antetokounmpo away.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Bucks have made it known that they would prefer to move Giannis by the deadline, suggesting that they have quality offers on the table and it's a matter of picking the best package. It is still very possible that Milwaukee opts to keep Giannis if they decide they'd rather deal him for a bigger package in the offseason. Even so, the logistics of working out a deal seem to be growing in importance so that the Bucks can actually get this done and resolve the situation.

Minnesota, Golden State, New York, and Miami have been mentioned as the four teams that are pursuing Antetokounmpo the most leading up to the deadline.

The Hawks make sense as a hypothetical facilitator for any deal involving Giannis. While there is practically zero chance that the 2026 first-rounder ending up as the best selection between Milwaukee and New Orleans gets floated in a deal, Atlanta still has a 2027 first-rounder that becomes the less favorable of Milwaukee and New Orleans' picks (it is top four protected). They also have their own first-round picks past 2028 to include as further ammo in a deal that they like.

If there's an avenue for the Hawks to fix their defense before making a playoff push, general manager Onsi Saleh needs to be proactively exploring that deal. If there's a way they can fix that defense with a player who's also a contributor on offense and makes under $30 milion in each year of his contract that runs through the 2028-29 season, they should be extremely interested in that deal.

Therefore, Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels is the best piece the Hawks could realistically acquire at the trade deadline without crippling their future.

The Trade

Jan 22, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) jumps to block as Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) drives to the basket at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Hawks Get: Jaden McDaniels

Timberwolves Get: Giannis Antetoukounmpo, Thanasis Antetoukounmpo, Gary Trent Jr, Bobby Portis

Bucks Get: Julius Randle, Kristaps Porzingis, Mike Conley, Joan Beringer, 2027 1st round pick (via ATL, worst of NOP/MIL, top four protected), 2028 1st-round pick swap (via MIN), 2029 1st-round pick (via ATL), 2031 1st-round pick (via ATL, top-10 protected), 2032 1st-round pick swap (via MIN)

This satisfies both Milwaukee and Minnesota's needs for a few reasons.

From the Bucks' perspective, they get a player who's capable of being the top scoring option on an NBA roster in Julius Randle. The combination of him and Ryan Rollins is at least useful for evaluating the rest of the team as it provides competence to a Giannis-less team. The Bucks don't have control over any of their picks beyond the 2027 one they'd be acquiring from Atlanta, so bottoming out isn't really an option for them. Porzingis can be re-routed or bought out if the Bucks want to further cut their salary and create more room under the aprons. Beringer has been the most intriguing of Minnesota's young players. He's a 6'10 forward who's already carved out a role on a playoff team as a lob threat and shot blocker. At just 19 years old, he has plenty of time to develop and could become an interesting player for the Bucks with time. Veterans like Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr are off the roster, freeing up minutes for Milwaukee to take chances on players. Perhaps most importantly, the Bucks get control over an astounding five first-rounders to chart a new future forward. They won't have their own picks, but this is one of the best packages they could feasibly recieve for a franchise legend.

Minnesota gets arguably the best player in the NBA when healthy. That's about as much convincing as they should need, but the duo of Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVicenzo should provide enough spacing to make a frontcourt of Giannis, Bobby Portis and Rudy Gobert work. The defensive combination of Giannis and Gobert is incredibly complementary to what both players do well, essentially pairing one of the best rim protectors of the era with one of the best help defenders. The only teams they should really fear in the Western Conference are the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even then, they are the only team in the NBA who has two of the game's ten best players.

Why the Hawks Would Do This Trade

Oct 30, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Trading away three first-rounders for a player that has never made the All-Star game sounds like a bad idea in a vaccum. However, the unique combination of salary, experience and skills that is Jaden McDaniels make him worth that price.

At just 25 years old, there's no questioning McDaniels can play in the playoffs. He's been a major contributor for the Timberwolves in two trips to the Western Conference Finals, notching 38 playoff games under his belt. He's also under contract for the foreseeable future, which fits into Saleh's long-term vision. His prime aligns nicely with Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels while they are under contract. He also makes Risacher somewhat expendable if the Hawks are encouraged by what they see from Corey Kispert.

He'd also fit perfectly into what they need at the moment. He has a case for being the best wing defender in the NBA. He has an elite BLK% of 1.5% (93rd percentile among all wings) while making Minnesota's halfcourt defense 4.8 points better per 100 possessions (83rd percentile). He can guard smaller guards or big men with ease. The defensive IQ, motor and level of processing on that end also allows him to be a leader and get other defenders in the right spot. He blows up pick-and-roll plays, navigates through screens and can even be a helpside rim protector when necessary.

By acquiring McDaniels, he'd free up Johnson from having to guard the other team's best player. That allows Johnson to run the offense in essentially a full-time role while also letting him crash the glass more often. Rebounding has been a big problem for the Hawks because Johnson has taken on a much bigger role on offense while retaining his defensive duties, so he doesn't have the energy to give them a lift on that end. He also fixes the issues that sometimes arise from Onyeka Okongwu as the starting center. Because Okongwu isn't the tallest center and doesn't have the overwhelming size or play strength to truly block off the rim, he can be exploited at times. McDaniels drastically reduces the likelihood of that happening.

However, this acquistion wouldn't take anything off the table for Atlanta's offense. This season, McDaniels is averaging 14.9 points on efficient 51.2/44.5/84.9 shooting splits. He's taking 3.4 threes a game, so this isn't necessarily a case of negligible volume. Fortunately, Atlanta doesn't need him to be a high-volume shooter. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Johnson and even Okongwu are plenty capable of making up for his lack of high-volume shooting. All he has to do is make enough to keep the defense honest and he's been doing exactly that. The advanced stats paint a pretty favorable picture of McDaniels' offensive contributions as well. The Wolves shoot 3.9% better from the field with him on the court and shoot threes at a better clip team with him in the game (+4.4% - 94th percentile). He's not necessarily a great transition player, but those situations aren't valuable enough to take him off the table for Atlanta.

It doesn't sound like the Hawks are going all-in at this deadline. However, the front office has a great opportunity to add a player who addresses some of Atlanta's biggest needs without cripping their future outlook. He gives the roster the chance to compete in a wide-open Eastern Conference and it would almost certainly spell the end of Quin Snyder's time in Atlanta if he doesn't make the postseason this year. They aren't a championship contender, but acquiring McDaniels gives them a big push on the way to get there.