With the NBA’s moratorium period ending today, the Atlanta Hawks have acquired another player in a complex seven-team deal. Power forward David Roddy is headed to the ATL, as a part of the trade that includes Kevin Durant, Jalen Green, and former Hawk Clint Capela.
Fred Katz of The Athletic reported that “All other elements of the deal are pick trades from draft night that are yet to be finalized.” That means that Atlanta’s sign-and-trade that sent Capela to Houston is a part of this deal, as well. The Hawks lost Capela and Daeqwon Plowden in the trade, but gained Roddy, a second-round pick swap, and cash.
Roddy and the Hawks are no stranger to each other, with the 24-year-old playing 27 games for the club last season. The Colorado State product averaged 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. He was acquired last July from Phoenix in a player-for-player swap that gave Atlanta E.J. Liddell.
After competing in those 27 games (three of them starts), Atlanta waived him. Roddy caught on with Philadelphia and Houston to round out the season, playing in three games for each team. The 76ers signed him to a two-way deal on February 21, then waived him. Houston signed him to a two-way deal on March 3, where he remained through the end of the regular season.
How Roddy fits with the new-look Hawks
As of now, it appears that Roddy will fill one of Atlanta’s two-way roster spots, shared between the parent club and College Park. Currently, undrafted rookie Eli N'Diaye is the only other two-way player for the Hawks, leaving the team with one two-way spot remaining.
Two-way contracts allow players to move between the NBA team and their G League affiliate. It’s commonly used for young players who aren’t quite ready for NBA rotation minutes and workload, but are still intriguing pieces that franchises want to hold on to.
Atlanta let go of two-way player Daeqwon Plowden in the deal, who heads to Phoenix after playing six games for Atlanta in his rookie season. A 26-year-old guard from Bowling Green, he poured in 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting in his debut on January 15th.
This move seems to merely be the Hawks’ front office choosing one young player over another. Roddy, an undersized forward, makes up for his lack of size with strength. We’ll see how Atlanta decides to use him this fall.