Blockbuster New Trade Proposal Sends De’Andre Hunter to Detroit, Jaden Ivey to Atlanta

The Atlanta Hawks already made a big move this offseason by trading Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and two first-round picks. It seemed like this would be one of a handful of trades the Hawks had to make this offseason, but it’s the only one they’ve made so far. Atlanta added size and length on defense to better surround Trae Young, and they may not be done yet.

Three names are still floating around in trade rumors around Atlanta: Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter, and the recently acquired Nance. The Hawks are currently under the cap tax, but they could look to free up more cap space if a trade made sense. There were rumors before the draft that the Hawks were considering trading Hunter, and while I think they should keep Hunter unless a good deal comes along, Atlanta could look to shed his contract to keep flexibility for the future.

Could the Hawks try to send Hunter to a team that has enough salary cap space to absorb his contract, while also freeing up space on their salary cap sheet?

Two teams that fit that description stand out. The Pistons and Jazz are two teams that have cap space and could be interested in Hunter. I think this could be worth it for the Pistons, who need shooters who can get around the floor, and even if he’s inconsistent, Hunter would instantly become one of Detroit’s best shooters, while also giving them another wing player.

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

Here is the trade:

Atlanta receives: Jaden Ivey and a 2028 second-round pick (via NYK)

Detroit receives: De’Andre Hunter

This could be a measure that would benefit both parties.

Due to the Hawks’ poor roster since Young’s draft, Hunter had to be considered the only big, athletic, above-average fullback. While he may not have been the Hawks’ best player, he could have been arguably one of the most important players on the team, aside from Young. Hunter was the only one who could defend players like Jayson Tatum or Luka Doncic, and because he was often injured, the Hawks’ defense suffered whenever he wasn’t on the court. He was also an inconsistent offensive player throughout his career, although this was his best offensive season as a pro. Hunter set career highs in points per game and three-point field goal percentage, and many of those records came while he was coming off the bench after returning from injury. He had a very disappointing game against the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Play-In Tournament, scoring eight points on 3-16 shooting in 42 minutes, but he has improved in several ways this season and shouldn’t be considered just for that game. Moving Hunter would allow more minutes and opportunities for this year’s first-round pick, Zaccharie Risacher.

I don’t know if the Pistons want to part ways with Ivey, but he’s the only Pistons player the Hawks would be interested in. Ivey has had a bit of an uneven couple of years, but the Hawks might be willing to take a risk on him while he’s on a cheap deal and hope he develops into a more consistent player. Last season, Ivey averaged 15.4 points per game, 3.8 assists per game and 3.4 rebounds per game in 77 games, while shooting 43 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range. The Hawks could buy Ivey cheap and hope he can find a role on a team looking to get back to the playoffs.

There are only so many teams that will trade for Hunter and I think the Pistons are one of them. They haven’t really used their salary cap space this summer, other than signing Tobais Harris, and could use another player to stretch the field. Atlanta could look to get rid of his contract and give him a fresh start, while also getting a chance to see what Ivey can do. This is just a hypothesis, but it makes sense for both parties.