Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Idea Sends Karl-Anthony Towns + Marcus Smart to Atlanta and Dejounte Murray to Minnesota

The NBA Finals resume tonight, but from the looks of things, the Boston Celtics are going to be the new NBA champions. Looking ahead to next year, the Celtics will be the favorites again and bring this team back intact next year.

However, many teams will not look the same and they will change in hopes of catching the Celtics at some point. One of those teams could be the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were set to face the Celtics in the Finals this year. The Hawks and Grizzlies haven’t had as good a season as Minnesota’s, but they have ammunition to be very different, or in Memphis’ case, they just need to stay healthy. Atlanta has a chance to land an impact player after winning the draft lottery, they will likely trade for Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, and other players like Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter could also be moved . Atlanta has a lot of retooling to do with their roster, but they could be a much better team next season.

What about a three-team trade proposal involving all three of those teams?

It should be noted that this is simply a fun, speculative exercise to see what types of moves can be made, not what I think a team should absolutely do. That’s all.

That being said, I think there is a three-team trade that makes sense for Minnesota, Atlanta, and Memphis.

Hawks receive: Karl-Anthony Towns and Marcus Smart

Timberwolves host – Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic

Grizzlies receive – Clint Capela and 2025 1st round pick via Sacramento (Protected 1-12)

Let’s break down each aspect of this trade and see how viable it could be.

The Minnesota Timberwolves may have just advanced to the Western Conference Finals, but they could have a very important decision to make this offseason. The Timberwolves will move past the second apron next season if the team stays as it is and its trade assets have declined due to the trade for Rudy Gobert, who just won another Defensive Player of the Year award . This has led to speculation that the Timberwolves may try to trade star forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns in order to avoid the second apron and potentially recoup some draft picks.

While it’s unclear yet if the Timberwolves could actually do this, it could be a good idea for a team that already has Anthony Edwards. Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid is also set to take over Towns’ role, making the move even easier. If Minnesota decides to move Towns, there will be plenty of suitors around the league as Towns is one of the best offensive big men in the league.

If Minnesota decides to move Town’s, they could consider adding a guard to relieve Anthony Edwards and Murray feels like he would fit in. He is a good defender and would help run the offense, while Bogdanovic and Mike Conley could come off the bench. The Timberwolves would need to find a backup big man if they make this trade, however.

While Towns may be one of the most talented big men in the league, I’m not sure of his fit with the Hawks due to his defensive issues. Pairing a shaky defender like Towns with a shaky defender like Trae Young doesn’t seem like the best idea, but there are other ways Atlanta can try to cover this up. Young and Towns would be an elite offensive duo, with Towns’ ability to spread the floor being a huge addition to the team. One way for Atlanta to try to cover up these flaws on defense would be to add a point of attack defender and draft Alex Sarr or Donovan Clingan. One point of attack defender who might be available at the right price is Marcus Smart, the former Defensive Player of the Year.

I don’t know if Smart would actually be available, but there are things the Grizzlies need as a team and he could become replaceable if the right person comes along. The one area Memphis needs more than anything is a rim protector and rebounder, which Clint Capela is. Capela is entering the final year of his contract and Memphis may not like a straight trade of Smart and Capela. If Atlanta really wanted to make the deal, they could add the lottery-protected pick that Sacramento owes them to lure the Grizzles.

Smart would be a great fit alongside Young and he has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate for the Hawks in the past. If this trade were made, the Hawks could have a starting lineup of:

PG – Trae Young

SG – Marcus Smart

SF – Jalen Johnson

PF-Karl-Anthony Towns

C-Onyeka Okongwu

The Hawks would then have Kobe Bufkin, No. 1 pick De’Andre Hunter and Mouhamed Gueye coming off the bench, and they could take other steps to strengthen the bench.

If I had to guess, the team that might not want to do that would be Memphis. There are other rim protectors that are better than Capela, but they would cost more. It would be expensive to acquire Jarrett Allen or trade for Donovan Clingan. Capela would be the cheapest of the group that will be available this offseason.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey recently ranked the Hawks as the “top pick” for Towns:

Best Place: Atlanta Hawks

“The Minnesota Timberwolves just advanced to the conference finals with a 22-year-old leading scorer. In the past, this would have seemed like a surefire ‘go back’ situation.

But while Minnesota is on track to overcome the dreaded new second apron, it must at least consider cost-cutting measures. The most obvious would be a Karl-Anthony Towns trade, which is why he’s expected to pop up in trade rumors over the next few weeks.

A Hawks team led by Towns and Trae Young would be lucky to be even average defensively. But Atlanta would likely move closer to the top of the league on offense.

The Hawks could play a five-out, three-point scheme with Towns starting at 5, and they wouldn’t necessarily sacrifice the lob threat that makes up such a big part of Young’s game. Jalen Johnson is a high-flying player, and he could become the most common receiver for alley-oops, much like Aaron Gordon with the Denver Nuggets. »

It wouldn’t be a perfect fit, but talent-wise, Towns might be the best Atlanta can get this offseason. If you added the surrounding pieces needed for defense it could work.

This offseason is going to be interesting for all three teams and they could all look different in just a few weeks.