New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends KAT to Detroit, Knicks Build Depth, and Hawks Add Young Guard

The offseason is here for 28 teams in the NBA. The NBA finals have arrived and there are only two teams left alive with hopes of making it to the ultimate goal of winning a championship. Heading into this offseason, the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, and Detroit Pistons are all searching for the next steps to take as a franchise, which is different for all three.

Atlanta is going to be a team worth watching. Most will point to a potential Trae Young trade, but that does not appear likely (for now) and Atlanta may move forward with this core of Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu. If the Hawks decide to do that, they need to improve their bench in a big way this offseason. Due to the NBA's CBA and apron rules, you are going to be seeing a lot more three-team trades between teams so salaries can move around. Atlanta could try to attach themselves to a big deal and add some pieces to their bench if they opt to move forward with this starting five. The Hawks need interior defense, frontcourt depth, shooting, and maybe a backup lead guard/ball handler. This is not a great free agent class to be filling those needs, so could the Hawks look to the trade market? NBA insider Marc Stein has already reported that Atlanta could 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.

New York is in an interesting position. They made it to the conference finals and if not for the collapse in game one, they might have beaten the Pacers and moved on to the NBA Finals. Every main player for the Knicks is locked in for next season and with Boston losing Jayson Tatum and uncertainty with teams like Cleveland and Milwaukee, the Knicks could easily just run it back with this team and hope they have better luck.

The biggest criticisms of this Knicks team were the lack of defense from center Karl-Anthony Towns and their depth. Towns is an incredible offensive player, but his defense has been a sore spot and if you pair that with Jalen Brunson, who is not a strong defender either, and it was easy for teams to target the Knicks. They had no reliable depth and it was up to the starters to take on a heavy load. While it seems unlikely, the only real way for the Knicks to address these problems is by trading a starter and Towns is the most likely to move due to the issues already outlined. With the firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau, could more changes be on the way?

Detroit was the surprise team in the NBA this season, tripling their win total from the year before and earning the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Cade Cunningham was named to the All-NBA third team, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren took steps forward this past season, and the team did all of this without emerging guard Jaden Ivey, who missed a good chunk of the season. With Ivey back, plenty of cap space and assets to trade, could Detroit look to take a leap this offseason? There are some questions as to whether Duren and Thompson pair well together when it comes to spacing the floor and the Pistons could be in the market for a stretch-five type of center.

So how about a trade where each of these teams tries to fill a need?

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.

Hawks Receive: Marcus Sasser and a 2025 2nd round pick (No. 35 overall, from Detroit, via TOR)

Knicks Receive: Tobias Harris, Terance Mann, Simone Fontecchio, Jalen Duren, and an unprotected 2026 1st round pick (via DET)

Pistons Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns, Georges Niang, Kobe Bufkin, Pacome Dadiet, and Ariel Hukporti

Why the Hawks do this trade: They swap young guards with Bufkin and Sasser. Bufkin is talented but has been unable to stay healthy and in a year where the Hawks have something to prove, they turn to another young guard who has been pretty good in his first couple of seasons while adding a second-round pick in this year's draft, which they don't have entering the draft. Sasser is heading into his third season and has played 128 games in two seasons with the Pistons. He can take over as the lead backup guard for Bufkin, who has been unable to stay healthy. Sasser is a 37.8% three-point shooter for his career and has averaged nearly 3.0 APG in just 17.0 MPG.

Why the Hawks don't do this trade: They prefer to keep Bufkin and bet on his talent instead. Quin Snyder is reportedly still a believer in Bufkin, despite his lack of availability.

Why the Knicks do this trade: They add a center who makes more sense from a defensive perspective while adding three bench players in Harris, Fontecchio, and Mann. This would be a deeper team that still has a very good starting lineup and an actual bench with Mitchell Robinson, Deuce McBride, and those three players. Instead of relying heavily on the starters, the Knicks can have depth for the regular season and the playoffs. They can either use the 2026 draft pick to add to their roster or trade it for more depth. If Tyler Kolek develops into a rotation player next year, this could be one of the deepest teams in the NBA.

Why the Knicks don't do this trade: None of the players they are getting back are as good as KAT. The Knicks might prefer getting bench help while also keeping KAT. Harris is an expiring deal and has had playoff shortcomings, Fontecchio did not always play for Detroit last season, and Mann had struggles with the Hawks. They might be an upgrade over what they had, but are they ready to win an NBA title? That is the goal next season for the Knicks.

Why the Pistons do this deal: They add a stretch-five center who makes more sense with Cunningham and one of the best offensive players in the NBA. A core of Cade Cunningham, Towns, Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, and Jaden Ivey would be dangerous in a weakened Eastern Conference next season, especially if they can bring Malik Beasley back. Niang provides leadership and shooting off the bench and Detroit can see what they have in Bufkin. They still have plenty of future picks and can afford to trade one for a pairing of Towns and Cunningham.

Why the Pistons don't do this deal: The issues with Towns are well-documented. The Pistons are built on defense and Towns weakens that part of the team, even if he upgrades them significantly on the other end. He also has three years left on his contract and is an expensive player. The bench depth would be a serious question, especially if Bufkin can't stay healthy and prove he is an NBA player. This would be a big swing with a downside for the Pistons.

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.

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