So the Atlanta Hawks have continued to make moves in the offseason. They allowed Aaron Holiday to walk which was a fairly easy decision to make. They also traded John Collins to the Utah Jazz in a move that made sense given his lack of production last season and the size of his contract.
The main piece that they got back in the trade, Rudy Gay, was then used with TyTy Washington, Usman Garuba, and a future second-round pick to secure Patty Mills. Now, this is not the massive trade that most Hawks fans wanted, but it is a sneakily good move.
The Atlanta Hawks are trading TyTy Washington, Usman Garuba, Rudy Gay and a second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Patty Mills, sources tell ESPN. Hawks save $4.5M in the deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 8, 2023
Now, that is not what most people expected to see in this article but there is an explanation for this. While the Hawks did not improve their contract position too much, they improved the structure of their roster. They got rid of a big who was not going to play many minutes and got a backup point guard who knows how to win.
The Atlanta Hawks got themselves a winner at the end of his career.
With Gay gone and Mills on the team, the Hawks made sure that they did not have wasted salary when they are so close to the luxury tax line. This does not mean that Mills is going to get massive minutes in the rotation, it just means that he will play more than Gay would have.
On top of that, Mills has played on a championship-winning team. He was a key bench piece in the San Antonio Spurs championship in 2014. No Spurs fan or Miami Heat fan will forget the 5-of-8 that he shot in Game 5 of the finals to help the Spurs get over the line.
On top of that, when Mills pulls on the green and gold of the Australian Boomers, he turns into a poor man’s Steph Curry. He has the talent and when a coach allows him to use it, Mills still can take over a game. On top of that, Mills is also a really good locker-room presence and this is something that the Hawks need, a veteran’s voice that knows what it takes to win.
Mills also adds the extra perimeter shooting that they need in the second unit. His defensive shortcomings will prevent him from taking the court very often with Trae Young but that will not stop him from playing off-ball when Dejounte Murray runs the point. This will provide even better floor spacing for the second unit which will make the Hawks harder to beat.
What is even better for the Hawks is that if Mills does not work out, they only have this season left on his contract. He is also a desirable piece for a trade with a contender if things are not working out. Couple this with the Collins trade exception and Mills can be a valuable asset for the Atlanta Hawks this season.
That is if the Hawks don’t move him on to his fifth home this off-season. Mills provides many options for the Hawks moving forward.