In their final trade on a busy day before the deadline, the Atlanta Hawks dealt center Cody Zeller to the Houston Rockets.
“The Atlanta Hawks are trading Cody Zeller and Houston's 2028 second-round pick to the Rockets, sources tell ESPN,” ESPN insider Shams Charania reported in a post on X on February 6.
Zeller, 32, has not played for the Hawks this season.
Both sides agreed Zeller would remain away from the team until his situation could be resolved, and the situation played out as planned.
The Hawks ducked under the luxury tax with this move, a dubious trend for the organization. They surrendered draft capital – most likely because he has not taken the floor to showcase what he can do – and they only received the draft rights to their own former second-round pick Alpha Kaba.
They should also get a trade exception out of it.
Zeller is in Year 1 of a three-year, $11 million contract. He has cap hits of $3.5 million, $3.7 million, and $3.8 million.
It is difficult to argue with this deal. While it is unclear whether or not the Hawks will use the trade exception they should generate by moving Zeller, they achieved their long-term internal goal while minimizing further collateral damage.
They must only waive one player rather than two.
There are no obvious candidates. The Hawks will have to eat some salary since they only have guaranteed and two-way contracts to choose from.
Hawks lacked what Cody Zeller brings
Zeller was the final piece of the return package the Hawks received for trading Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. They also received Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., and two first-round picks, so Zeller was not exactly the most highly-touted asset brought back.
Hawks GM Landry Fields made it clear the Hawks would look to reroute Zeller.
That was at media day, though. It is unclear if either side believed that it would take this long to reach a resolution.
“It’s still an evaluation right now as it relates to our roster and how that's going to shape up going into training camp,” Fields said in October 2024. “We’re talks with his camp. Just kind of seeing what that’s going to look like for the future.”
Ironically, Zeller is a big-bodied hustle player.
Those are two things the Hawks have lacked or need more of this season amid their injuries, including Clint Capela, who remains on buyout watch, and starting center Onyeka Okongwu.
The offseason figures to bring plenty more changes for the Hawks, who now face an uncertain future on many levels following their deadline dealings.