The Five Worst Trades in Atlanta Hawks History
4. Hawks trade: Steve Smith and Ed Gray
Trail Blazers trade: J.R. Rider and Jim Jackson
On 08/02/1999 the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers agreed on a deal that sent aging fan favorite Steve “Smitty” Smith packing his bags. They were coming off a heart wrenching sweep from the playoffs at the hands of the younger New York Knicks. Smith, 30, had missed significant time because of troubles in both of his knees the past season. He still managed to average over 17 points per game and was named to the all star team.
"“Atlanta doesn’t really want to get rid of Steve, but for someone like him they would be able to get two starters,” Smith’s agent Charles Tucker was quoted as saying."
This is a trade that was all-together mind boggling as soon as it was announced. Isaiah Rider and Jim Jackson may have provided the Hawks fair compensation talent wise, but the Hawks had to know Rider would be a massive headache. Rider came to the Hawks scoring 18 points per game with 4 rebounds and Jackson also was productive, averaging 17 points per game.
In my own opinion about J.R. Rider, he was one of my favorite players and I always thought he got a bad wrap. His skills as a scorer was a fabulous work of art; I would tape every game he played for the Hawks, studying all his moves closely. What was outstanding to me while he was on offense was his footwork. He had this amazing style and rythym when shooting off the dribble or when catching a pass, he would gather with both feet landing at the same time. I applied what I saw to my own game. As a member of the Timberwolves, he actually signed my upper deck basketball card during warmups prior to a game against the Hawks at the Omni. So, needless to say, as a child I didn’t know better and was happy he came to the Hawks.
More from Soaring Down South
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
As a professional in the corporate world of the NBA though, Rider was a cancer in and away from the locker room. He was always late to practice’s, some times not showing up at all. He already had a bad reputation long before coming to Atlanta. The Timberwolves ran out of patience with him following his conviction for misdemeanor possession of marijuana, and traded him to a team that earned the nickname Portland “Jail Blazers”.
He was also reprimanded by the league for climbing into the stands during halftime of a game and spitting at a drunken, obnoxious fan. As kind as he was to me, I find that very hard to believe, but it happened. Hawks head coach Lenny Wilkens, did not want the trade at all, but was forced to try to fit him in the system. I could really continue listing more of his troubles, but you get the point.
As the centerpiece of the trade, Rider went on to play just 60 games for the Hawks. Things got so bad, instead of serving a three game suspension for being tardy to a game, he demanded his outright release. Jackson wasn’t a train wreck at all like Rider, but he was a complimentary role player at best.
The year before this particular trade the Hawks finished fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 31- 19 record during a strike shortened season. If you ask any knowledgeable Hawk fan, they will tell you; the Steve Smith trade set the franchise back 10years. They picked the worst possible deal they could have for Smith.
Next: No. 3