New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Keegan Murray to ATL, UTA Get Sabonis, SAC Lands John Collins

If Sabonis is dealt, the Atlanta Hawks should be interested in trading for pieces from Sacramento's roster. For the right price, no one should be truly untouchable and there are several players that would make the Hawks better in 2025-26 on the Kings' roster. Specifically, Atlanta needs to add more frontcourt depth, shooting, and defense in its rotation.

Given the needs of all three teams, what would a deal between these teams look like? Here is one possible framework.

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: Keegan Murray

Sacramento Kings Receive: John Collins, Collin Sexton, Georges Niang, Kobe Bufkin, 2025 1st round pick (via SAC, from ATL, #13), 2025 1st round pick (via MIN, from UTA, #21)

Utah Jazz Receive: Domantas Sabonis

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Last season, Keegan Murray put up 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds on 44.4/34.3/83.3% shooting splits in a down year. However, that statline doesn't take into account his versatility as a defender. He can hold his own against practically anyone on the perimeter and even offers something as a weak-side rim protector. As a result, he pairs very well with Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson on that end. When he gets open shots, he capitalizes, as evidenced by shooting 43% on open threes last season. Even though he only shot 34.4% for the season, he shot above 37% for January, February and March of last season, so the larger sample size indicates that he is an above-average shooter. He's currently due for an extension, but the Hawks should be able to work a reasonable deal out and insert him into the lineup as a hyper-effective sixth man or occasional starter if Johnson misses time with injury.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: Any deal where a first-round pick is conceded comes with some risk and it's fair to wonder if the Hawks could get a similar player at that draft selection. Furthermore, Niang was the team's best shooter last season on high volume. Even if he has defensive deficiencies, there's a lot of emphasis being placed on Murray stepping into a high-volume shooting role and thriving.

Why the Kings would do this deal: Rather than being tied to Sabonis long-term, they get two players whose contract expires this offseason in Collins and Sexton. Both players had solid seasons for the Jazz last year. Collins can play at either the 4 or 5 and shot 39.9% from deep last season on 3.7 attempts per game, averaging 19 points and 8.2 rebounds. He has similar defensive limitations to Sabonis but comes at a much cheaper price. Sexton shot 40.6% from deep on 4.3 attempts a game and took strides defensively to become a better all-around player. The combination of him and Malik Monk would pose a ton of problems for opposing defenses and he can take on some facilitation duties vacated by Sabonis departing. Niang is a cheap replacement for Murray and offers a lot as a shooter despite being defensively limited. Bufkin is an interesting gamble on a player with tons of defensive upside. Because three of these players have deals that expire this offseason, Sacramento effectively gives itself a ton of future flexibility after moving on from Sabonis to remake the roster in whatever way they see fit. The Kings are also getting two first-round picks in this deal, both of which could be used to get cheap rotation players in the upcoming draft.

Why the Kings would not do this deal: Collins and Sexton have been avaliable for a while because it's not clear how they fit onto winning basketball teams. Giving up Murray is also a tough decision to make because he's developed into a very nice 3&D wing. Furthermore, Bufkin has not been able to stay healthy throughout his career. In short, there's a good chance that the Kings could make these moves and effectively end up in the same spot.

Why the Jazz would do this deal: Because Collins and Sexton likely weren't going to be part of their long-term future, the Jazz are really only giving up one meaningful asset in this deal: the 2025 first-round pick from Minnesota. In doing so, they're getting an All-NBA center who can be an offensive hub due to his passing and shooting abilities. He recorded an AST% of 26% last season and shot 41.7% from deep on 2.2 attempts per game. Sabonis had a career-high 13.9 rebounds last season, which would be a formidable pairing with center Walker Kessler. Kessler can make up for some of Sabonis' deficiencies in rim protection while Sabonis has the shooting necessary to stretch the floor as a PF. Although they may not be a playoff team in Year 1, Sabonis has the talent necessary to push the Jazz into the play-in next year and get them back into competing for postseason berths.

Why the Jazz would not do this deal: Sabonis has always been a difficult player to build around because he doesn't shoot well from deep on high volume and he has severe defensive struggles as a player. He isn't a great rim protector and his teams seem to always be capped as a first-round exit. The Jazz would be effectively tied to him for the next three seasons, which is a long time in the NBA. He comes at a cheap price, but there's a reason why that is.

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