New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Hunter to Cavaliers, Sexton Lands in ATL, Jazz Get Clint Capela

The trade deadline is a little more than 24 hours away and deals tend to come together quickly around this time of year. Rumors can suddenly turn into transactions without much warning.

One of the teams that might be especially motivated to make a deal are the Cleveland Cavaliers. They've taken firm control of the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference and look to be in strong position heading into the last two months of the season. One part of their success has been their overall depth - rotation players like Isaac Okoro, Sam Merrill, Ty Jerome and Georges Niang have all stepped up for Cleveland. That's without mentioning a strong top four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

As a result, they're going to be heavily interested in any players that can help them in the next two years without compromising their limited collection of draft picks. DeAndre Hunter would fit that bill. Even though he's been incredible for the Hawks, the combination of his health and previous performance mean that teams aren't going to fork over premium assets for him. However, Atlanta could use a Hunter deal to improve their salary cap flexibility in future seasons. Personally, I think netting anything other than first-round pick value for Hunter would be a mistake for the Hawks. He's been one of the best bench players in basketball (18.9 points on 45.9/38.6/85.8 shooting splits) and integral to Atlanta's offense both with and without Trae Young.

If the Cavs do end up pulling the trigger on a Hunter deal, what would it look like? Here's a possible framework that includes the Utah Jazz as a third team to facilitate for salary-matching purposes.

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 should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks get: Collin Sexton, Caris LeVert, Jaylon Tyson, 2025 2nd round pick (from Milwaukee, via Cleveland) and 2031 first-round pick (top-10 protected, via Cleveland)

Cleveland Cavaliers get: DeAndre Hunter, Vit Krejci, 2025 2nd round pick (from Minnesota, via Atlanta)

Utah Jazz get: Clint Capela, Craig Porter Jr, 2025 1st round pick (from Sacramento, via Atlanta)

Why Atlanta Might Do This Trade: Adding Sexton, LeVert and Tyson is a good balance of win-now moves that also provide some future upside. Sexton and LeVert immediately slot into rotation spots as good shooters (both are shooting over 40% from deep on decent volume) who can take an offensive burden off of Trae Young. Tyson is a young wing who has shown some promise in limited opportunities for the Cavaliers, but the chances of him being a big-time contributor this year for Cleveland are low. With Atlanta, he can develop into a rotation wing who provides some shooting and defense on a cost-controlled salary.

Why Atlanta Might Not Do This Trade: Losing Hunter is going to be difficult to handle from a defensive perspective. With the exception of Johnson, Hunter is Atlanta's most experienced and reliable wing defender who fills a lot of roles on that end for an already-porous perimeter defense. Risacher has been better than expected on defense, but how will he handle this larger responsibility?

Why Cleveland Might Do This Trade: Despite their depth, Cleveland is still short on wings with length who can defend at a high level. Both Hunter and Krejci are fairly solid defenders who match up well with some of the Eastern Conference's big wings like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, O.G Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. The first-round pick they're sending out is reasonably protected to give them insurance and they improve the quality of their depth. LeVert is one of the more inconsistent starters in the NBA while Hunter has been very consistent for the Hawks. Perhaps most importantly for Cleveland's future, both of these players are secured on long-term deals that align with their competitive window.

Why Cleveland Might Not Do This Trade: Giving up on Tyson before he has a chance to develop into something could be a move that they come to regret. They may also value their locker room chemistry too much to disrupt their team like this. Losing LeVert amidst one of his best seasons on defense is also a tough pill to swallow.

Why Utah Might Do This Trade: They turn Sexton into a first-round pick that has a decent shot of converting and can get off Clint Capela's money when his deal expires in the offseason. As a result of this move, they are increasing the amount of cap space they'll have next year. That sets them up to be a player in free agency and a facilitator for trades, which should help them improve their stockpile for draft picks. Porter Jr has some upside as a playmaker for a Utah team that is developing a lot of young talent. Furthermore, they could add another first-round pick to their arsenal in a talented 2025 NBA Draft.

Why Utah Might Not Do This Trade: If they feel they can get a better asset for Sexton, then they may not be interested in this deal. They may also not see Porter as a piece that can legitimately be part of their future. However, there's very little downside to this deal for the Jazz.

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 should do or will do. That is all.

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