New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Idea Sends Wiggins Home, Hawks Add Rotation Wing From Eastern Conference Rival

Could the possible trade of Kevin Durant to Minnesota incentivize them to change their starting lineup, leading the Hawks to acquire some much-needed wing depth?

Dec 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) backs towards the basket as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) plays defense in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been among the best in the Western Conference for the past few seasons and successfully pivoted out of the Karl-Anthony Towns deal without missing a beat, but they are still among the most expensive rosters in the NBA. They are just below the first apron and need to decide on giving a new extension to power forward Julius Randle, as well as figuring out a contingency plan for the expected departure of Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Despite their financial situation, though, Minnesota seems to be angling for a big move by possibly bringing in future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant this summer through trade.

Per NBA insider Zach Lowe of the Ringer, there has been a lot of discussion about Durant to Minnesota as of late.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly “gaining steam” as a potential landing spot for Kevin Durant, per @ZachLowe_NBA

“Lowe said he would put the Timberwolves at No. 1 in the ‘buzz’ rankings in the Durant sweepstakes, with the Houston Rockets at No. 2.”

(Via @ringer / h/t… pic.twitter.com/CJMaE6YmHh

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 14, 2025

If the Timberwolves are able to bring in Durant, the need for a player like Randle decreases. Randle is at his best with the ball in his hands and the Wolves would already have two very ball-dominant players in Anthony Edwards and Durant. They might be best suited by shipping out Randle for a veteran who can contribute immediately in a smaller role.

One team that could be interested in Randle is the Miami Heat. After getting pummeled in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami saw the limitations of an offense with Tyler Herro as the only true offensive threat. Getting someone like Randle would allow them to put a massive lineup of Randle, Bam Adebayo and Ke'el Ware on the floor while also taking some offensive responsibilities from Herro in order to make him a more effective player.

However, given that the Heat are only $9.3 million under the tax threshold and the Timberwolves are barely under the first apron, it might help to have a third team involved to make the deal easier for everyone. The Hawks are an example of such a team. Atlanta has a ton of financial flexibility this summer, which they can use to address their needs at interior defense, front court depth, shooting, and maybe a backup lead guard/ball handler. NBA insider Marc Stein has already reported that Atlanta could also look to be facilitators this summer in the trade market due to their financial flexibility, depending on if the team brings back any of Caris LeVert, Clint Capela, or Larry Nance.

Given the needs of all three teams, what would a trade between them look like? Here is one possible framework for a deal.

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.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Haywood Highsmith

Miami Heat Receive: Julius Randle, 2027 2nd round pick (via CLE, from ATL), 2029 2nd round pick (via MIN), 2030 2nd round pick (via MEM, from MIN, protected 31-50), 2030 2nd round pick (via ATL)

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Jaime Jaquez Jr

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Highsmith is a hard-nosed defender that finished last season with a STL% of 1.7%, good for the 71st percentile among all wings. He's 6'7 and can play either SF or PF depending on the lineup. Highsmith was also very durable last season, suiting up for 74 games, and the Hawks can use more reliable depth considering their injury woes last year. He shot 38.2% from deep on 3.1 attempts last season and an impressive 44% on corner threes, so he cannot be entirely ignored on offense either. At only $5.6 million, Highsmith is a solid 3&D forward who can be a part of solving the Hawks' defensive issues and his contract expires after this season, meaning Atlanta can move on easily if he is not a fit.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: A strong season from Highsmith means they have almost no chance of keeping him because of the money they've allocated to the young wings on their roster in Jalen Johnson and eventually, Dyson Daniels. Furthermore, the Heat are infamous for getting good two-way contributions out of players that greatly struggle elsewhere and it's fair to wonder whether the same thing would happen to Highsmith.

Why the Heat would do this deal: After building a reputation as a bad playoff performer, Randle averaged a solid 21.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists on 62.2 TS%. He had good games against the Thunder in Games 1 and 3 while also excelling in his matchups against LeBron James and Draymond Green in the first two rounds of the playoffs. As the second scoring option in Minnesota this year, he averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 59.3 TS%, He isn't a true floor spacer (34.4% on 4.6 attempts per game), but he's more than qualified to be the second or third option in conjunction with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. They also pick up some future second-round picks, which is valuable to a team like Miami that always seems to find rotation players in the second round. They are also cutting salary in this move and move off an inconsistent player who didn't smoothly fit in Andrew Wiggins, opening up an additional $7 million in flexibility under the luxury tax threshold. That gives them a better shot at retaining Davion Mitchell, who played well for them last season.

Why the Heat would not do this deal: This does leave them with only 11 standard contract players, which gives them 3 roster spots and only around $20 million to fill those spots. That could be different if they are able to salary dump Terry Rozier at the deadline as an expiring contract, but it's would be a pretty tight salary situation for Miami. Furthermore, Randle does need to be signed to a long-term contract and it's unclear whether the Heat would want to commit to him in that way without seeing how he fits.

Why the Timberwolves would do this deal: If they do bring in Durant, Wiggins would make a ton of sense as the third option behind Edwards and KD. The obvious storyline would be him returning to the franchise that took him first overall and unceremoniously shipped him off to Golden State, but he's turned into an excellent complementary player since then. Wiggins averaged 19 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 45.8/36/73.1% shooting splits last season with the Heat, but he was overtaxed as a secondary offensive option in the playoffs and didn't seem to fit in Miami due to injuries and adjusting to a new role. With Minnesota, he'd able to play to his strengths as an excellent defender while occupying an off-ball role. He's a fairly durable player and he's under contract for the next two seasons, which is likely Minnesota's title contention window if they trade for Durant. Jaquez was very good in his rookie season, but slumped in his sophomore season. He averaged 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 46.1 percent shooting, including a ghastly 31.1 percent from 3-point range. He showed signs of being a smart cutter and solid passer while being able to play either SG or SF. That kind of depth is valuable for the Timberwolves in the regular season, especially because they are losing a player who filled that role for them in Alexander-Walker.

Why the Timberwolves would not do this deal: The money for Wiggins and Randle (on his player option) is very close, so they aren't really giving themselves more financial flexibility with this deal. They also have to plan for a KD extension if they trade for him and having Wiggins on the books could be prohibitive for that. Jaquez falling out of the Heat's rotation entirely was partially due to injury, but it's hard to not be concerned about his future upside given that he is an older rookie.