The Hawks finished 46-36, grabbed the No. 6 seed in the East, and pushed the eventual champion Knicks to six games in round one. Jalen Johnson also broke out into an All-NBA-caliber player, putting up 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists on 48.9% shooting. This is already a good team, but watching that playoff series, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Atlanta still needs one true elite half-court scorer before anyone can seriously call them contenders.
The Suns are in a much stranger spot. They beat expectations, going 45-37 and making the playoffs after trading Kevin Durant and buying out Bradley Beal, but their season ended in a four-game sweep to Oklahoma City. Devin Booker was still excellent at 26.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists on the year, then saw that dip to 21.3 points a game in the playoffs once the Thunder started keying in on him.
To be clear, there’s no report out there saying Booker is actually available, so this is all hypothetical on my end. He also just signed a two-year, $145.0 million extension running through 2029-30, which means Phoenix has zero real incentive to accept a bad offer. Still, if the Suns ever decide another middle-of-the-pack season just isn’t enough, Atlanta is one of the few teams that could put together young talent, productive vets, and a real haul of first-round picks without touching Johnson or Dyson Daniels, who’d be key defensively next to Booker.
Trade Idea
Atlanta Hawks Receive:Â Devin Booker
Phoenix Suns Receive:Â CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Buddy Hield, Kingston Flemings, 2029 first-round pick, 2031 first-round pick, 2033 first-round pick (top-five protected)
Booker is set to make roughly $57.1 million in 2026-27. Atlanta sends out about $52.4 million combined: CJ McCollum’s $21.0 million expiring deal, Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s $14.4 million, Buddy Hield’s $9.7 million, and Kingston Flemings‘ $7.4 million rookie salary. That leaves the Hawks absorbing around $4.7 million, which stays under the first-apron room this framework leaves them.
Why The Hawks Would Do This
I genuinely believe Atlanta has reached the point where a move like this deserves serious consideration, as Johnson’s breakout changed the entire timeline for this franchise. He’s not just an athletic forward anymore, he’s a legit 6-foot-8 offensive engine who rebounds, pushes the ball, runs pick-and-rolls, and creates for teammates. Atlanta doesn’t need a traditional lead guard dominating the ball every trip because Johnson can already do so much of that himself.
What they’re still missing, in my view, is somebody defenses genuinely fear late in games. CJ McCollum was terrific after arriving in Atlanta: 18.7 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.1 rebounds across 41 games, and the Hawks caught fire with him down the stretch. But he’s 34, on an expiring deal, and obviously not in Booker’s tier. Booker’s younger, bigger, and far more capable of carrying a playoff offense through a full seven-game series.
A Booker and Johnson pairing sounds like an absolute nightmare to defend. Johnson attacks slower forwards, pushes transition, and punishes switches, while Booker handles the tough pull-ups and late-clock isolations. Booker could also play off the ball more than he ever gets to in Phoenix, using Johnson’s passing to get loose off screens instead of manufacturing everything himself.
Atlanta would still keep Daniels, Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Onyeka Okongwu, so the defense wouldn’t fall apart. They’d be building around Booker and Johnson with long, versatile defenders instead of trying to squeeze two undersized scorers into the same backcourt.
Losing Alexander-Walker would hurt, no question. He just won Most Improved Player averaging 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals, and he was one of the best stories in the league last year. But this is Devin Booker we’re talking about. Teams almost never land a five-time All-Star without giving up someone they truly like.
Flemings is the other tough pill to swallow. The No. 8 pick averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals at Houston, shooting 47.6% from the field and 38.7% from three. He could turn into Atlanta’s guard of the future, but the Hawks already have a 24-year-old All-NBA-level creator in Johnson. Flipping a promising rookie for a proven star is exactly the kind of aggressive move contenders eventually have to make.
Three first-round picks sounds like a lot until you remember Atlanta still keeps Johnson, Daniels, and Okongwu. If Booker stays healthy, the 2029 and 2031 picks probably land late in the round anyway. The 2033 pick is the risky one, which is why top-five protection makes sense there.
If I’m Atlanta, I’m doing this trade. It’s expensive, sure, but the Hawks would finally have a star who can go get 30 points in an ugly playoff game without needing the entire offense built around creating for him.
Why The Suns Would Consider It
Phoenix wouldn’t be getting anyone close to Booker’s current level back, but they would get just about everything else a team in retool mode could want. Alexander-Walker is coming off a 20.8-point season and is locked up through 2028-29. He defends, shoots, and creates enough offense to stay useful whether Phoenix decides to keep competing or eventually pivots to a rebuild.
Flemings becomes the centerpiece of the return. He’s only 19, went eighth overall, and already flashes the speed and playmaking of a future starting guard. Phoenix could realistically hand him a much bigger role than he’d ever get in Atlanta next to Johnson and an already crowded perimeter.
McCollum gives the Suns a productive vet on a $21.0 million expiring deal, someone who could help them stay competitive for a year, get flipped again at the deadline, or just clear cap space in 2027. Hield’s mostly there for the money to match, but he can still knock down shots and his deal is movable.
Then there’s the real prize, three first-round picks. The 2029 selection might not amount to much, but nobody can predict what Atlanta’s roster looks like in 2031 or 2033. Booker will be 34 in 2031 and 36 by 2033, and Johnson’s current deal will be long gone by then. At least one of those picks could end up being genuinely valuable.
The catch is that Phoenix isn’t in rebuild mode right now. They won 45 games, added more veterans with a massive Miles Bridges trade, and clearly still believe in competing around Booker. Trading away the face of the franchise for a rookie, a role player, an expiring vet, and future picks would be a total change in direction.
Booker also still has four guaranteed years left, so Phoenix holds all the leverage here and could demand way more. They could easily ask Atlanta to swap Hield for Daniels instead, or throw in another unprotected pick. That’s probably where things get uncomfortable for the Hawks.
Who Says No?
Right now, I think it’s Phoenix that says no, of course. This is finally a package worth actually discussing, but the Suns just don’t have enough reason to move Booker after a genuinely successful regular season. Flemings is exciting, and Alexander-Walker just had a career year, but neither one screams “obvious franchise centerpiece” today.
That idea flips fast if Booker ever asks out, or if Phoenix slides back toward the Play-In picture. At that point, three firsts, Flemings, Alexander-Walker, and real financial flexibility suddenly looks like a very serious offer.
Atlanta, for what it’s worth, should probably say yes even at this price. Booker and Johnson together would instantly be one of the best offensive duos in the East, and the Hawks would still have enough defense and depth around them to genuinely contend.
Phoenix says no today, but this is close enough that one rough season, or one trade request, could change the answer pretty quickly.
