Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) defends a pass by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) in the first quarter of the game at Crypto.com Arena.The offseason is here for 28 teams in the NBA. The NBA finals have arrived and there are only two teams left alive with hopes of making it to the ultimate goal of winning a championship. Heading into this offseason, the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers are all searching for the next steps to take as a franchise, which is different for all three.

Atlanta is going to be a team worth watching. Most will point to a potential Trae Young trade, but that does not appear likely (for now) and Atlanta may move forward with this core of Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu. If the Hawks decide to do that, they need to improve their bench in a big way this offseason. Due to the NBA’s CBA and apron rules, you are going to be seeing a lot more three-team trades between teams so salaries can move around. Atlanta could try to attach themselves to a big deal and add some pieces to their bench if they opt to move forward with this starting five. The Hawks need interior defense, frontcourt depth, shooting, and maybe a backup lead guard/ball handler. This is not a great free agent class to be filling those needs, so could the Hawks look to the trade market? NBA insider Marc Stein has already reported that Atlanta could 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.

The Lakers are always going to be among the most talked about teams in the league, but that is especially going to be true now that they have Luka Doncic. A lot of the talk is going to be around the Lakers trying to get a center to put around Doncic and LeBron James, which was a clear weakness for them in their postseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Los Angeles looked like they had a trade for Hornets center Mark Williams, but was rescinded due to a physical. You can bet that the Lakers are going to be looking for an upgrade at the center position, but a big question will be if it will cost them star guard Austin Reaves in the process. Maybe they find a smaller move that might not be as flashy on paper, but one that works from an on-court and financial standpoint.

New York is in an interesting position. They made it to the conference finals and if not for the collapse in game one, 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.

The biggest criticisms of this Knicks team were the lack of defense from center Karl-Anthony Towns and their depth. Towns is an incredible offensive player, but his defense has been a sore spot, and if you pair that with Jalen Brunson, who is not a strong defender either, it was easy for teams to target the Knicks. They had no reliable depth and it was up to the starters to take on a heavy load. While it seems unlikely, the only real way for the Knicks to address these problems is by trading a starter and Towns is the most likely to move due to the issues already outlined. With the firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau, could more changes be made? The next head coach might want to find some more depth for the team.

So how about a trade where each of these teams tries to fill a need?

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.

Hawks Receive: Jarred Vanderbilt

Knicks Receive: Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht

Lakers Receive: Mitchell Robinson, Terance Mann, Pacome Dadiet, a 2027 2nd round pick (from ATL, via CLE), and a 2029 2nd round pick (from ATL, via CLE)

Apr 13, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) brings the ball up the court against the Portland Trail Blazers in the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images / Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Why the Hawks do this trade: They get better front-court depth and move off of Mann’s contract. While he is not a great offensive player, Vanderbilt is a defensive specialist and can give the Hawks a better body behind Jalen Johnson. It is an upgrade on the margins, but one that should help their defense.

Why the Hawks don’t do this trade: They might prefer to keep Mann and while Vanderbilt is a good defender, he is not an offensive threat. Atlanta may just prefer to stay pat instead of making a marginal upgrade like this.

Why the Knicks do this trade: This might not seem like enough for Mitchell Robinson, but he has an injury history as well as being in the last year of his contract. The Knicks get two bench players they can use for depth next season and they are both improvements over what they currently have. Vincent is on an expiring contract

Why the Knicks don’t do this trade: Robinson has been an important part of their team and is a very good shot blocker, rebounder, and rim-threat on offense. Vincent has been pretty poor while on the Lakers while Knecht is an offensive threat only who could get played off the floor in the playoffs.

Why the Lakers do this trade: They get a center who fits the mold of what works best with Luka and LeBron. Robinson will give them a presence in the middle to help their defense and be a good pick and roll partner with Doncic. They still have some expiring contracts and their draft picks to go and find upgrades else where.

Why the Lakers don’t do this trade: Robinson is on an expiring deal and will likely be receiving a raise if he has a good season and that would make the Lakers finances tough given that Reaves is owed a contract soon as well. He has also missed plenty of time in the past due to injuries. Los Angeles may want to find an upgrade at center elsewhere.