Why Atlanta do it: The Hawks have sought a replacement for Capela. If they've identified Nurkić as that player, mission accomplished. The veteran is under contract through 2025-26 at $19.4 million, which helps Atlanta avoid a more significant, long-term investment at the position until it sorts out Trae Young's next contract (the point guard has a $49 million player option before 2026-27).
Hachimura gives the team a short-term replacement for Jalen Johnson, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Atlanta owes its first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, so tanking for draft position isn't an option. Hachimura will earn $18.3 million next season, giving the Hawks flexibility to decide which players best fit together (Zaccharie Risacher, De'Andre Hunter, Hachimura) alongside Johnson and Young.
The Hawks will stay under the luxury tax this season and next, which is part of their motivation for getting out of Bufkin. Bufkin is also done for the year with a shoulder injury and may never get proper development time with the emergence of Dyson Daniels.
Atlanta maximizes flexibility while staying competitive this season. Along with the two significant trade exceptions (that don't expire until February 2026), Nurkić and Hachimura will be on expiring contracts. They should be relatively easy to relocate if better opportunities arise.
The Hawks also send out Krejčí, Roddy and Gueye, but they are adding two starting-caliber players. The other incoming players (Davis, Baldwin, Bol and Wood) aren't as significant but are necessary to make the deal legal. Atlanta also gets a late second-rounder for its trouble.
Why Phoenix do it: The Suns are chasing Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, and this wouldn't necessarily get in the way if they can find a home for Bradley Beal. After acquiring Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets, Mason Plumlee in free agency and Oso Ighodaro in the draft, Phoenix has moved Nurkić toward the end of the center depth chart. Converting his salary (for the next two years) into Bogdanović, who is cheaper over the same period (plus a team option for 2026-27), would give the Suns another good-sized combo guard like Grayson Allen.
The cost is players the team doesn't value highly (Nurkić and Bol) and a low 2025 second-round pick. Milton and Gill have cheap, non-guaranteed salaries next season, which could help in future moves under the Suns' restrictive second-apron status this year and next (projected).
Why Los Angeles do it: The Lakers have struggled to find a center after giving up D'Angelo Russell's expiring salary to take on Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets. The team badly needs the defense that Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt can provide, and neither has significant trade value. To get any player earning near an average NBA salary or higher (Nikola Vučević, Robert Williams III, Jonas Valančiūnas) will probably cost Hachimura.
League sources believe the asking price for a cheaper alternative like Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz is Dalton Knecht and the Lakers' 2029 and 2031 first-round picks. The Chicago Bulls and Wizards are also thought to be asking for a first. Williams, of the Portland Trail Blazers, has struggled to stay on the court for most of the last few years.
Capela fits the positional need (costing a low second instead of a first), and the Lakers get a replacement wing in Krejčí, who has a friendly contract and could earn productive rotation minutes off the bench. The team can play big with Anthony Davis and LeBron James at forward or smaller, with Finney Smith replacing Hachimura as a starter and Capela off the bench.
Next year, the Lakers can look to re-sign Capela to a team-friendly contract while spending its $5.7 million projected taxpayer mid-level exception under the second apron.
Why Washington do it: The Wizards have the worst team in the NBA, and rebuilding will take time. Here, the team adds youth and a second-round pick as a minor facilitator in a deal that can be executed without Washington's participation.
Bufkin (No. 15) and Hood-Schifino (No. 17) were drafted in 2023; Roddy was No. 23 in 2022. Washington can see if any are worth reinvesting in, as only Bufkin is under contract next season. Hood-Schifino and Roddy's rookie-scale options were declined, just as the Wizards decided to pass on Davis and Baldwin's options.
The Wizards also get a low second-rounder from the Nuggets (likely in the 50s) and cash from the Lakers.