The Atlanta Hawks had a really good offseason where they were able to rejuvenate their roster without giving up too many pieces of their core. The Utah Jazz on the other hand had the start of a fire sale, getting a haul for Rudy Gobert, who they traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
One of the players who the Jazz are looking at moving on from is Nickeil Alexander-Walker who was part of the Joe Ingles trade back in February. Unfortunately for the Jazz, Alexander-Walker was not able to perform at the same level in Utah as he had for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Alexander-Walker only played 15 of a possible 27 games with the Jazz. He just did not seem to fit with their style of game. However, there is a good chance that his game would fit nicely with the Hawks. It would probably not cost the Hawks a great deal to acquire the fourth-year guard either.
What would it cost for the Atlanta Hawks to acquire Nickeil Alexander-Walker?
Well, for one, the Hawks would probably have to go from two Holidays back to one. Justin Holiday is a prime candidate for the Hawks to send to the Jazz in order to secure the services of the 23-year-old shooting guard.
While the Hawks already have an incredibly solid guard rotation, Alexander-Walker is also able to play on the wing. His shooting percentage from the perimeter is reasonable for his career, but at only 32.9 percent there is room for improvement. He is a solid scorer though with a good first step and is also able to make plays for others as well as himself.
Holiday is a solid 3-and-D player whose game is more suited to the way that the Jazz has historically played. He is in line for a rotation role with the Hawks, similar to that which will be given to Maurice Harkless. Holiday is also on an expiring deal which is worth just short of $6.3 million.
Alexander-Walker is also on an expiring deal but is only due $5.0 million which will put the Hawks back under the Luxury Tax. This will then allow the Hawks some flexibility with their moves later in the season depending on how their season is transpiring.
As the Jazz is in a rebuild, they are looking to get assets as well as players. For the Hawks to get the deal done they can send one of their three second-round picks in the 2023 draft. This move is not going to be the headline grabber of some of the others of the summer, but it could help the Hawks in a few games this season. This could have a massive impact on the Hawks’ seeding at the end of the season.