Blockbuster Trade Rumor: Sabonis Heads to Knicks as Hawks Snag Josh Hart

The Sacramento Kings are in a very strange position this offseason. They made the play-in tournament, but the Mavericks dominated them in a 120-106 blowout. As a result,
All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis
guarantee is not a guarentee to be in Sacramento long-term. NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints had this to say about the situation:

“Many around the league are preparing for the possibility of the Kings becoming big sellers ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline next February, which would likely result in Sabonis requesting a trade should a clear direction not present itself.”

Even so, Siegel has made it very clear as of late that the Kings have no interest in shopping Sabonis themselves.

“The Kings have not been contacting teams gauging trade interest in Domantas Sabonis. Although Sabonis has heard his name come up in recent rumors, Sacramento has not shown any interest in parting ways with the 29-year-old star big man to this point.”

If the right offer comes along, though, it would be hard for the Kings to say no. They are currently built around a core of Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Keegan Murray, but is that even worthy of a play-in spot in a stacked Western Conference? It might be worth turning the All-Star big man into draft capital capable of ushering in the next era of Kings basketball.

Surprisingly, a Sabonis package might come from the New York Knicks. New York is in an interesting position. They made it to the conference finals, and if not for a Game 1 collapse, they might have beaten the Pacers and moved on to the NBA Finals. Every main player for the Knicks is locked in for next season, and with Boston losing Jayson Tatum and uncertainty with teams like Cleveland and Milwaukee, the Knicks could easily just run it back with this team and hope they have better luck. However, they made one aggressive move last summer in landing Karl-Anthony Towns from the Knicks, and they still have control over their 2026, 202,8, and 2031 picks. Towns has not been the smoothest fit in New York, and if they get the right package, could they move on?

In the wake of their Game 6 loss, a recent report by Fred Katz and James Edwards III of The Athletic illustrates that starting center Karl-Anthony Towns, who was a big acquisition for the Knicks during the offseason, may not have been an ideal fit on the team. They had this to say about the frustration of the Knicks’ locker room in regards to Towns’ defense:

“Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies. Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed frustration with Towns’ defensive habits—less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end. Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it. After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn’t grasp the importance of the matter.”

Even if Towns does end up getting traded, the Knicks would likely need a third team to be involved in the deal, considering how tight their salary cap space is. The Hawks could be that third team. Atlanta has a ton of financial flexibility this summer, which they can use to address their needs at interior defense, front-court depth, shooting, and maybe a backup lead guard/ball handler. NBA insider Marc Stein has already reported that Atlanta could also look to be facilitators this summer in the trade market due to their financial flexibility, depending on if the team brings back any of Caris LeVert, Clint Capela, or Larry Nance.

Given the needs of all three teams, what could a trade between them 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: Josh Hart

New York Knicks Receive: Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Kobe Bufkin, Vit Krejci, 2030 1st-round pick (via ATL, lottery-protected)

Sacramento Kings Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns, 2026 1st-round pick (via NYK, unprotected), 2030 1st round pick (via NYK, unprotected)

Why the Hawks would do this deal:

Josh Hart didn’t have the best playoff series for the Knicks in the ECF, but he’s still arguably been the heart of the team during their recent return to contention. Hart can play either the 2 or 3 and averaged 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game on 52.5/33.3/77.6 shooting splits (61.1 TS%). He’s a great all-around player who fights for rebounds, plays solid defense, and offers tertiary playmaking. Hart would be an excellent sixth man for the Hawks and he could be incredibly helpful for the Hawks in a role that keeps him fresh. For a heavily protected first-round pick significantly far out in the future, it would be a worthy gamble for Hart.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal:

Outside of helping an Eastern Conference rival possibly get better, this deal probably doesn’t get done because of what Hart means to the Knicks’ culture and his all-around impact. Furthermore, the Hawks probably do not want to commit significant long-term salary to an inconsistent shooter when they need to figure out new contracts for Dyson Daniels and Trae Young.

Why the Knicks would do this deal:

They can’t realistically lose Hart without getting an excellent rebounder in return and Sabonis fits that bill. He led the NBA in TREB% by grabbing 22.4% of available rebounds last season, which led the NBA. Sabonis might be a good fit specifically for New York because they can deploy him on offense while having Mitchell Robinson as a rim protector to cover up for his defensive liabilities. He took strides as a shooter from deep this season (career-best 40% on 2.2 attempts per game) and also averaged 6.0 assists last season, which takes some playmaking off Jalen Brunson’s plate. Sabonis isn’t a true floor spacing center, but his playmaking, rebounding, and ability to create offense for himself allow him to become a primary or secondary source of offense for Portland. 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. A perimeter defense manned by Murray, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby would be incredibly versatile and athletic that few teams would be able to crack it. When Murray gets open shots, he capitalizes, as evidenced by shooting 43% on open threes last season. That could be an excellent fit in New York due to how much attention Brunson demands as a scorer, freeing him up for catch-and-shoot opportunities. 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 Knicks should be able to work a reasonable deal out since they are cutting salary in this deal and inserting him into the lineup as a hyper-effective sixth man or occasional starter.

Why the Knicks would not do this deal:

They are dealing two unprotected firsts, and if the Sabonis deal doesn’t work, they will be out of moves to build around Brunson. Furthermore, the finances of a Murray extension would be difficult to work out considering that they need to sign Bridges to a new deal. Dealing Hart would also be an unpopular decision inside New York’s locker room.

Why the Kings would do this deal:

Adding Karl-Anthony Towns would make some sense around a core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Devin Carter, and Keon Ellis. He can take on a big offensive role for the Kings, averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds on 52.6/42/82.9% shooting splits and shooting a blistering 42% from deep on 4.7 attempts per game. Towns also had the best rebounding season of his career last year and posted a TREB% of 21%. The duo of LaVine and Towns, from a shooting perspective, would be an impressive amount of offensive firepower and the Kings can play Jonas Valanciunas at the 5 to slide Towns into Murray’s spot. They are also getting back two unprotected first-rounders, which will help them add cost-controlled talent next season.

Why the Kings would not do this deal:

Towns has a very expensive contract and the Kings would have three big contracts on their books in Towns, DeRozan, and LaVine while barely being a playoff team in the Western Conference. That trio makes them good enough to stay competitive in the West while likely capping their ceiling as a first-round exit. While they aren’t adding any more significant money in the deal, this deal probably wouldn’t change very much for the Kings. Moving on from Keegan Murray would also be very difficult to swallow.

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New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Domantas Sabonis to the Knicks, Hawks Get Josh Hart
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