The Atlanta Hawks traded Rajon Rondo for Lou Williams and two future second-round picks just minutes before the trade deadline according to Woj of ESPN. This trade appears to be another effort by the Hawks to fix their scoring issues when their superstar, Trae Young, goes to the bench.
The Hawks signed Rondo in the offseason on a two-year deal. He has missed large periods of the season due to injury and when he has hit the court, Rondo has been less than impressive. He has not had the players around him who are able to maximize his talents.
Rondo is a terrific playmaker, who can make incredible passes to open teammates that not many other players have the skill to make. This can open up the floor for his driving game which is where he is at his best. He can score close to the rim or kick the ball out to an open shooter.
Why the Atlanta Hawks and Rajon Rondo did not gel.
Rondo has won two championships during his time in the league. Each time he has had some of the best players in the league around him. When he won the title with the Boston Celtics he had Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen who were able to finish the plays that Rondo started.
Last season he had LeBron James and Anthony Davis who were able to do the same. Rondo is a fine point guard but he needs players around him who are truly elite. Coming off the bench for the Hawks, Rondo was not playing with the elite level players who he needs to help him run a team.
The cons for the Atlanta Hawks trading Rajon Rondo for Lou Williams.
Williams is a shoot-first guard who makes plenty of shots for himself. In fact, when he was playing with Montrezl Harrell, the three-time Sixth Man of the Year averaged about 20 points per game. He was still a decent creator for others, averaging over 5.0 assists per game.
However, without his fellow Sixth Man of the Year alongside him, Williams’ production has dropped off. He is only averaging 12.1 points and 3.4 assists per game. This is a concern due to the fact that Williams is 34 years old and is slowing down a little bit.
Rondo is also a much better defender than Williams. The two-time NBA champion has also been a steals champion back in 2009-10 and has been all-defensive four times. He has always been able to read the play on defense and this has helped his team win.
The last con is that Rondo had connected with a lot of the current Hawks roster and was mentoring them to become better players. Brandon Goodwin and Kevin Huerter have both benefitted from Rondo’s wisdom and mentorship. It will be interesting to see if Williams can make the same connection with the younger guys.
The pros for the Atlanta Hawks trading Rajon Rondo for Lou Williams.
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One of the biggest pros of trading for Williams is that his contract is one year shorter. Williams is due only $8.0 million this year and then becomes a free agent next season. This has the potential to create more cap space for re-signing John Collins next offseason.
Williams also has the ability to create offense when Young goes to the bench. This is an area that the Hawks have struggled with since they handed the keys to the offense to Young just over two seasons ago.
The second unit now becomes even harder to defend as Williams is shooting the 3-ball at 37.8 percent which is the best season number of his career. Combine this with Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Cam Reddish, and either Huerter or Tony Snell and this makes the Hawks tough to stop. He actually played with Gallinari two seasons ago when they were both with the LA Clippers.
Williams is also an Atlanta native at the end of his career, If he fits in well for his second stint with the Hawks then there is a chance that he signs on next year for a veterans minimum. This move has the potential to push the Hawks into a high playoff seed.