New Blockbuster Kevin Durant To Atlanta Trade Idea Proposed

The Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns are two teams that are going to be at the center of the NBA Offseason in just a matter of weeks. The Hawks hold the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, there are ongoing questions about the backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, and other veteran players such as Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic could be on the move. The Hawks roster could look much different when the new season tips off in October.

Phoenix on the other hand does not have many ways to improve its roster. After trading for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, the Suns are out of picks and tradeable players to really improve their team. After getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Suns have arguably the most bleak future in the league. They have an aging roster that just got swept and has no way to improve, meanwhile, the Western Conference is going to remain difficult to get through and other teams are improving. It seems that the only way that the Suns could improve is by trading Durant, which they seem like they don't want to do. It appears that Phoenix might really run back their team from last year.

What if they change course though?

I don't think that they will trade Durant to be clear. But if they were to realize that this team has only one way to improve (they are not trading Devin Booker and Beal has a no-trade clause), it is possible they move Durant for better pieces to fill out the roster.

Would the Hawks get involved if Durant is made available? While he is aging, Durant would be a terrific fit next to Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and the No. 1 pick. This was a trade proposal I came up with that would sent Phoenix some roster building pieces and Atlanta gets Durant:

Hawks Receive: Kevin Durant

Suns Receive: Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin, and a 2025 first round pick via Sacramento (top-12 protected)

The Hawks move Murray and get off of Hunter's contract (which is not terrible), trade Griffin (who fell out of the rotation but still has potential), and trade the Kings pick in hopes of Durant elevating them to a top team in the East. Here is what the Hawks starting lineup could end up being:

PG- Trae Young

SG- Bogdan Bogdanovic

SF- Kevin Durant

PF- Jalen Johnson

C- Onyeka Okongwu

You would then have a bench led by the No. 1 pick (Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, or Donovan Clingan) and last year's draft picks Kobe Bufkin and Mouhamed Gueye. I think Atlanta would have some work to do to fill out the bench, but those three guys are a starting point. They could try to trade Clint Capela for some rotational players off the bench.

This would be a win-now move for the Hawks. Getting Durant means that you are trying to win something in the later years of his career and he is still a high-caliber player. Hitting on the No. 1 pick and another step from Jalen Johnson could get the Hawks into a top four spot in the East.

Would the Suns do this trade? I don't know that they would, but this would be the best the Hawks could offer.

Again, I don't think Durant is getting traded, but he could become the top player on the market if he was made available. There would obviously be a lot of competition for him if he does hit the market.

On an April episode of the Lowe Post Podcast, ESPN NBA analyst Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks were speculating on hypothetical trades for Durant this summer and Lowe mentioned the Atlanta Hawks as a destination:

"Orlando would be the most fun, but it is not their M.O. The one that kinda makes sense, in theory is Atlanta, for one of the point guards, De'Andre Hunter, Saddiq Bey, just throw all of the wings in, but they just don't have any picks, they have the Sacramento pick and like one other future pick that they could trade, they just don't have any picks, but that is a fun little fake one."

Marks chimed in with his thoughts:

"You mentioned Atlanta, swapping out Trae Young for Durant."

I think a Durant trade this summer would be fascinating to see. He is clearly still a great player, but his age and the fact he only has two years on his deal might make teams hesitate to give up a lot for him. Phoenix sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four unprotected picks, as well as a pick swap in 2028. I seriously doubt that Phoenix could get that type of return back for Durant, but they won't get pennies either.

It will also be interesting to see what Phoenix would prioritize in a trade. They are stuck with Beal because he still has a no trade clause in his contract and given that contract, no team is going to want to trade for him, especially after the season he has had. They still have Booker unless he either demands a trade or Phoenix makes the decision to blow the whole thing up. I doubt they would do that though considering they don't have all of their own picks. Trading Durant seems to be the best possible path to acquiring assets.

I wrote about how the Hawks should get involved for Durant if he is indeed available and righ now, this is just all speculation. Phoenix might decide to run everything back and try to make it work with this team.

This past season, Durnat averaged over 27 PPG on 52% shooting from the field and 41% from three and he played in 75 of 82 games this year. He also averaged nearly seven rebounds per game and five assists per game. The question would be how many more seasons of that can he give like that? It could be three or four, but it's possible that its just one.

Buckle up for what could be a crazy summer.