The Atlanta Hawks proved they were not done even after trading for San Antonio Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray. They followed that up by trading away Kevin Huerter; a player previously considered a part of their young developing core. This amid reports that they were keeping up with Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant’s devolving situation.
It is still unclear whether or not the Hawks can pull off such a deal. Most of the league has already made a call to Brooklyn.
They still have enough player capital to make the financials work in a trade.
What they lacked, following the Murray trade, was draft capital. The Hawks sent their first-round picks in 2025, 2026, and 2027 to San Antonio as part of the deal. They found a way to recoup some of that lost spending power.
Former Atlanta Hawks wing Kevin Huerter reacts to being traded
The trade comes as somewhat of a surprise. Huerter signed a four-year, $63 million extension just last offseason. He averaged 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 45.4% from the floor and 38.9% from beyond the arc. He was easily the team’s best three-point shooter this past season.
However, the team’s pursuit of stars has put their financials in focus. Huerter is essentially a cap casualty in a deal that saw the Hawks get a second first-round pick in 2024.
Huerter, the 19th-overall pick in the same 2018 NBA Draft class as Trae Young, took to Twitter to share his reaction to the being sent across the country.
My official welcome to the NBA moment
— Kevin Huerter (@KevinHuerter) July 1, 2022
The versatile 6-foot-7 swingman noted that the team’s success would determine his before signing his extension last October.
With their five-game cameo in the postseason following a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, his prediction has come true. But, again, this is more about avoiding the tax and clearing up a logjam with Murray joining the fray and Bogdan Bogdanovic still on the roster, writes Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (subscription required).
Both Harkless and Holiday are on expiring deals while the move also saves the Hawks around $3.6 million this season.
The players are expected to be on the roster.
But the real get is the first-round pick that essentially replaces the one they received in the Cam Reddish that went to San Antonio. Hawks president Travis Schlenk said following the deal that teams are more likely to be interested in a pick rather than a player.
Whether they keep it or use it for a separate transaction, the Hawks have regained some of the flexibility that they lost in the Murray trade.
Unfortunately for Huerter, it came at his expense.