New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Klay Thompson to Spurs, Gafford to Hawks, Mann to Mavericks

On paper, the 2025-26 Atlanta Hawks already have their center. Onyeka Okongwu excelled for the Hawks during the second half of the 2024-25 season, putting up 13.4 points and 8.9 rebounds on 63.4 TS%. His combination of defense, playmaking and occasionally stretching the floor makes him an excellent fit with Trae Young and he should be the team's unquestioned starter at center heading into next season.

However, it's important to recognize that there is a significant change Okongwu will not make it through the season entirely healthy. The physical demands of playing center in the modern NBA are extreme and Atlanta did not have a reliable backup center option for a significant portion of last season. That placed a heavy burden on Okongwu and it would be in the team's best interest to lighten that burden this season by finding a reliable backup for him.

One team that has tons of depth in its frontcourt is the Dallas Mavericks. Widely expected to take Cooper Flagg at the top of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Mavericks will go into next season with a frontcourt of Flagg, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Dwight Powell and Daniel Gafford. Although Flagg is more of a SF/PF, it creates a very crowded room of forwards and centers in Dallas. Considering they have big needs in their backcourt, perhaps they could use the situation to their advantage and make a more established addition to their backcourt.

The San Antonio Spurs have an established piece in their backcourt in veteran point guard Chris Paul. Despite his age, Paul had an excellent season as a passer last season, playing in all 82 games and dishing out 7.4 assists per game. However, the Spurs have the second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper is going to be hard to turn down at that spot. Therefore, there may not be as clear of a role for Paul on the 2025-26 iteration of the Spurs.

Given the needs of all three teams, a trade could make sense for everyone. 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: Daniel Gafford

Dallas Mavericks Receive: Terance Mann, 2025 2nd round pick (via SAS), 2026 2nd round pick (via UTA, from SAS), 2026 2nd round pick (via NOP/POR, from SAS), 2027 2nd round pick (via CLE, from ATL), 2031 2nd round pick (via CLE, from ATL)

San Antonio Spurs Receive: Klay Thompson

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Daniel Gafford is at his best when he's part of a good center rotation and he could be exactly that for the Hawks. Gafford is a good rim protector, lob threat and rim runner who offers some of the same traits that made Clint Capela such an effective counterpart for Trae Young. Last season, he put up 12 points and 6.8 rebounds in 21 minutes while shooting 70.2% from the floor. He brings a ton of energy towards rebounding and second-chance points, which will help the Hawks go from a solid rebounding team to a great one. Gafford isn't a dynamic scorer, but the Hawks could use someone with his skillset to be a foil towards Okongwu and keep him fresh down the stretch. Mann has given the Hawks some solid minutes off the bench, but he isn't very consistent and has a somewhat expensive contract that lasts for another three seasons. Moving off that deal creates even more cap flexibility in future seasons that the Hawks could use to great effect.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: Backup center is definitely a need, but it's fair to wonder if they need to target an outside addition like Gafford to do it. Larry Nance Jr played well for the Hawks last season and would probably have interest in coming back on a new, cheap long-term deal. if Gafford does play well, there's a good chance he departs next offseason. That would make this deal more of a rental for the Hawks. Furthermore, getting off the Mann contract is a solid deal, but it's worth wondering whether that will place more strain on a Hawks bench that was already hot-and-cold last season.

Why the Mavericks would do this deal: Neither Gafford or Klay Thompson are likely to be long-term answers at their respective positions in the NBA. Therefore, the Mavericks don't lose a ton by trading them and actually gain five second-round picks that can be used for improving their positoning in future drafts. Mann is a solid defender who can occassionally hit threes, so there is some reason to believe he would fit well in Dallas. However, from a player acquisition, the biggest impact has to be adding Chris Paul to this team and having him set things up for Flagg. Paul can help them stay afloat in the absence of Kyrie Irving next season as they attempt to make it back to the playoffs. The real selling points of this deal for the Mavericks from a draft standpoint is the sheer amount of second-round picks they are getting (5).

Why the Mavericks would not do this deal: The Mavericks would be losing two potentially massive parts of their rotation in Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford through this deal. That could be a significant problem for the 2025-26 team considering that both Thompson and Gafford have given the Mavericks good minutes last season. Losing Thompson also creates a hole at the Mavericks SG spot and reduces their SF depth. They are receiving a good amount of second-round picks, but that may not be enough to fill the holes in their roster created by this deal. There's also the fact that Mann's deal extends for a significant period of time, which cuts into their cap flexibility.

Why the Spurs would do this deal: The Spurs finished 20th in 3P% last season and adding a sharpshooter like Thompson would do a lot to improve that number. He shot 39.1% from deep on high volume (7.7 attempts per game) and also played respectable defense for the Mavericks. Given that they are going to be interested in making a playoff push next season, it would help to have someone with Thompson's playoff experience on the roster for the price of second-round picks.

Why the Spurs would not do this deal: Thompson is 35 years old, so there's only a few seasons of high-level play left for him. That makes him a tricky fit with a young team like San Antonio. There may be better options for the Spurs to pursue that are younger in age and fit better with the team's timeline.

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