Hawks land big-bodied forward in trade for Summer League standout: Report

The Atlanta Hawks had been quiet since drafting Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft and trading Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for a package of four players and two first-round picks.

However, General Manager Landry Fields has already said there is more work to be done with the roster.

Their latest move will not exactly clear up what Fields termed a “roster crunch” either.

“The Phoenix Suns are trading forward David Roddy to the Atlanta Hawks for forward EJ Liddell, sources tell ESPN,” ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojanrowski reported on X, formerly Twitter, on July 26.

Roddy, 23, was the No. 23 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. He spent one full season with Memphis, who traded him to the Phoenix Suns at the 2023 deadline.

He averaged 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 65 appearances in 2023.

Roddy – who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds – was in Las Vegas for NBA 2K25 Summer League with the Suns. “Big Body Roddy” averaged 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists with the summer Grizz.

Liddell also acquitted himself well in Vegas, averaging 7.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 assists 

Roddy did shoot better from three, sinking 36.7% of his deep looks to Liddell’s 21.4% clip.

Hawks add salary in trade for former Grizzlies 1st-round pick

The Hawks also notably added salary to their books with this deal, an atypical decision from this front office and ownership group. 

Liddell is in Year 2 of a three-year, $6.2 million contract with cap hits of $2.1 million in 2024-25 and $2.3 million in 2025-26. There is a club option for the final season with a June 29, 2025 deadline for a decision. Roddy is in Year 3 of a four-year, $12.9 million pact.

He has cap hits of $2.8 million and $4.8 million in 2024-25 and 2025-26, respectively.

The Hawks were $3.3 million below the luxury tax threshold before this deal, leaving them at $2.8 million in the aftermath.

They have 14 guaranteed contracts and 12 players who saw minutes with the team in 2023-24 on the 2024-25 roster. Bruno Fernando and Garrison Mathews are two veterans on non-guaranteed contracts.

Mathews’ $2.2 million salary in the last year of a four-year, $4.8 million contract locks in on January 10.

Fernando’s  $2.7 million salary in Year 3 of a four-year, $10.8 million deal locks in on August 1.

Fernando – who has a $2.8 million cap charge in 2025-26 – could be a priority decision given the team added Cody Zeller from the Pelicans in the Murray trade. They also still have starter Clint Capela and top backup Onyeka Okongwu.