A new successful Kevin Durant business idea in Atlanta is proposed

The Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns are two teams that will be the focus of the NBA offseason in just a few weeks. The Hawks hold the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, questions remain about the backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, and other veteran players such as Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic could be in movement. . The Hawks roster could look a lot different when the new season begins in October.

Phoenix, on the other hand, doesn’t have many ways to improve its roster. After trading for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, the Suns are short on picks and tradeable players to really improve their team. After being swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Suns have arguably the bleakest future in the league. They have an aging team that just got swept and has no way to improve, while the Western Conference is going to remain tough to get through and other teams are improving. It seems like the only way the Suns can improve is to trade Durant, which they don’t seem to want to do. It looks like Phoenix could really take a step back from last year’s team.

What if they changed course?

I don’t think they’ll trade Durant to be clear. But if they realized that this team only has one way to improve (they’re not trading Devin Booker and Beal has a no-trade clause), it’s possible they’d move Durant for better parts to complete the list.

Would the Hawks get involved if Durant was available? As he gets older, Durant would be a great fit alongside Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and the No. 1 pick. This is a trade proposal I made that would send Phoenix some roster building pieces and Atlanta would get Durant:

The Hawks receive: Kevin Durant

Suns receive: Dejounte Murray, De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and a 2025 first-round pick via Sacramento (top-12 protected)

The Hawks move Murray and terminate Hunter’s contract (which isn’t great), trade Griffin (who has fallen out of the rotation but still has potential), and trade the Kings’ pick in hopes Durant elevates them among the best teams in the East. . Here’s what the Hawks’ starting lineup could be:

PG – Trae Young

SG- Bogdan Bogdanovic

SF – Kevin Durant

PF – Jalen Johnson

C-Onyeka Okongwu

You would then have a bench led by the No. 1 pick (Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher or Donovan Clingan) and last year’s draft picks Kobe Bufkin and Mouhamed Gueye. I think Atlanta would have some work to do to fill out the bench, but these three guys are a place to start. They could try trading Clint Capela for rotational players off the bench.

This would be an immediate victory for the Hawks. Getting Durant means you’re trying to win something in the latter years of his career and he’s still a high-caliber player. Hitting the No. 1 pick and another move from Jalen Johnson could put the Hawks in the top four in the East.

Would the Suns make this trade? I don’t know if they would, but it would be the best the Hawks could offer.

Again, I don’t think Durant gets traded, but he could become the best player on the market if he were available. There would obviously be a lot of competition for it if it hit the market.

In an April episode of the Lowe Post Podcast, ESPN NBA analyst Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks were speculating on hypothetical trades for Durant this summer and Lowe mentioned the Atlanta Hawks as a destination:

“Orlando would be the most fun, but that’s not their modus operandi. The one that makes sense, in theory, is Atlanta, for one of the point guards, De’Andre Hunter, Saddiq Bey, just throw all wings but they just don’t have a choice they have the Sacramento pick and as another future pick they could trade they just don’t have a choice but it’s a little fake amusing. “

Marks shared his thoughts:

“You mentioned Atlanta trading Trae Young for Durant.”

I think a trade with Durant this summer would be fascinating to see. He’s clearly still a great player, but his age and the fact that he only has two years left on his contract might make teams hesitant to give up much for him. Phoenix sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four unprotected picks, plus a swap of picks in 2028. I seriously doubt Phoenix can get that type of return for Durant, but they won’t get any cents.

It will also be interesting to see what Phoenix’s priorities would be in a trade. They are stuck with Beal because he still has a no-trade clause in his contract and given that contract, no team is going to want to trade for him, especially after the season he had. They still have Booker unless he demands a trade or Phoenix makes the decision to blow it. I doubt they would, considering they don’t all have their own choices. Trading Durant seems to be the best possible route to acquiring assets.

I’ve written about how the Hawks should make a move for Durant if he is indeed available and right now that’s just speculation. Phoenix might decide to take it all over again and try to make it work with this team.

Last season, Durnat averaged over 27 PPG on 52% shooting from the field and 41% from three and he has played in 75 of 82 games this year. He also averaged nearly seven rebounds per game and five assists per game. The question would be how many more seasons can he give like this? There could be three or four, but it’s possible it’s just one.

Buckle up for what could be a crazy summer.