The Atlanta Hawks have acquired centers Clint Capela and Nene from the Houston Rockets in a four-team trade involving 12 players, it was announced on Wednesday. As part of the exchange, the Hawks traded guard/forward Evan Turner and a conditional future first round pick (acquired from Brooklyn on July 6, 2019) to the Minnesota Timberwolves and sent a 2024 second round pick (acquired from Golden State on June 20, 2019) to the Houston Rockets.
The Timberwolves also acquire Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez and Jarred Vanderbilt from the Denver Nuggets while Houston will receive Jordan Bell and Robert Covington from the Timberwolves. The Nuggets receive Keita Bates-Diop, Noah Vonleh and Shabazz Napier from Minnesota and Gerald Green and a 2020 first-round pick from Houston.
Capela, originally selected 25th overall by the Rockets in the 2014 NBA Draft, has averaged 12.2 points on .634 shooting, 9.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 26.0 minutes per game over his 334 career games (274 starts). In 39 games (all starts) this season, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound center is averaging 13.9 points on .629 shooting (4th in the NBA), 13.8 rebounds (4th in the NBA) and 1.9 blocks (7th in the NBA) in 32.8 minutes per game. A native of Switzerland, Capela currently ranks 10th in the NBA with 27 double-doubles, including four double-doubles of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds.
“We are excited to add Clint to our young core. He fills a need for us inside with his ability to protect the rim and rebound at an elite level and offensively, he gives our group another strong finisher and roll man,” said President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Travis Schlenk.
The five-year veteran has played in 61 playoff games (39 starts) with averages of 8.3 points on .606 shooting, 7.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 21.4 minutes per game. During the 2018-19 season, Capela, 25, ranked second in the NBA in field goal percentage (.648) and became just the third different player in NBA history to have shot at least .640 from the field while averaging at least 16.0 points per game in a single season joining Wilt Chamberlain and Artis Gilmore. He will wear jersey No. 17.
Capela’s size is something the Hawks could use, and while this season is pretty much over for Atlanta, the Hawks continue to build their core for the future and beyond.
Jeff Teague is back where it all started for him in the NBA. Minnesota sent Teague and Treveon Graham to Atlanta in exchange for guard/forward Allen Crabbe, it was announced today.
Teague, originally selected 19th overall by the Hawks in the 2009 NBA Draft, has averaged 12.7 points, 5.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 27.7 minutes (.446 FG%, .357 3FG%, .843 FT%) over the course of 746 games (589 starts) with Atlanta, Indiana and Minnesota.
In 34 games (13 starts) with the Timberwolves this season, Teague posted 13.2 points and 6.1 assists (.448 FG%, .379 3FG%, .868 FT%) in 27.8 minutes.
The 10-year veteran spent his first seven seasons with the Hawks and compiled 12.1 points, 5.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game in 518 contests (383 starts). The Wake Forest product ranks fifth on Atlanta’s all-time assists list (2,671), seventh in steals (613) and ninth in 3FGM (420) and was named an Eastern Conference All-Star during the 2014-15 season.
Graham, who made his NBA debut in 2016-17, has appeared in 158 games (44 starting assignments) with Charlotte, Brooklyn and Minnesota. The 6’6” shooting guard from Virginia Commonwealth has averaged 4.3 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest for his career. A native of Temple Hills, MD., Graham averaged 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 33 games (20 starts) with the Timberwolves this season.
The Hawks acquired Crabbe from Brooklyn on July 6, 2019. The six-year veteran saw action in 28 games (one starting assignment) for Atlanta and averaged 5.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 18.6 minutes. For his career, he’s posted 9.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.2 minutes (.426 FG%, .389 FG%, .833 FT%) over 372 games (113 starts).
The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the fourth-year (2020-21) option on the contract of John Collins, along with the third-year (2020-21) options on the contracts of Kevin Huerter and Trae Young, it was announced today.
Entering his third season in Atlanta, Collins averaged team-highs of 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds along with 2.0 assists in 30.0 minutes (.560 FG%, .348 3FG%, .763 FT%) in 61 games (59 starts) during the 2018-19 season. He ranked 15th in the NBA in rpg, 16th in FG% and 33rd in ppg. He was the first sophomore in NBA history to average at least 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in 30 minutes or fewer per game. During All-Star Weekend, he participated in the MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars and AT&T Slam Dunk. Collins was named NBA All-Rookie Second Team after the 2017-18 campaign.
Huerter was named NBA All-Rookie Second Team last season after averaging 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 27.3 minutes (.419 FG%, .385 3FG%, .732 FT%) in 75 contests (59 starts). Among qualifying NBA rookies, he ranked third in 3FG% (36th in the NBA), sixth in apg, seventh in spg and mpg. His 136 three-pointers were the second-most in Hawks history and the sixth-most in NBA history by a rookie age 20 or younger.
Young was a unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team selection last season as he averaged 19.1 points, 8.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 30.9 minutes (.418 FG%, .324 3FG%, .829 FT%) in 81 contests (all starts). Among qualifying NBA rookies, he was first in apg (fourth in the NBA), second in ppg (34th in the NBA) and FT%, third in mpg, sixth in spg and 10th in rpg. The four-time Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month was also NBA Eastern Conference NBA Player of the Week for March 18-24, the only rookie in either conference to win the award last season. Young also led the Eastern Conference in total assists (653, second in the NBA), becoming the first rookie to lead a conference in assists since 1995-96.
The Atlanta Hawks have acquired center Damian Jones and a 2026 second round draft pick from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for forward/center Omari Spellman, it was announced today.
Jones has played in 49 career regular season games (22 starts) in three seasons with the Warriors, tallying 3.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 11.9 minutes (.643 FG%, .577 FT%). The seven-foot-tall Jones posted career-high averages in points (5.4), boards (3.1), assists (1.2), blocks (1.0) and minutes (17.1) this past season, earning 22 starting assignments in 24 appearances.
Jones, the 30th overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft, attended Vanderbilt University and is a two-time NBA Champion, appearing in 12 career playoff contests (one start) with Golden State. He is a native of Baton Rouge, LA.
Spellman was selected by Atlanta with the 30th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Villanova University product appeared in 46 contests (11 starts) as a rookie, recording 5.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.5 minutes per game.
The Atlanta Hawks have acquired guard/forward Evan Turner from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for guard Kent Bazemore, it was announced today.
“We are happy to add Evan to our team, a veteran who we believe can help our club,” said Hawks General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk. “The versatility he has shown throughout his career will be valuable for us this season.”
In nine seasons with Philadelphia, Indiana, Boston and Portland, Turner has averaged 9.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 27.2 minutes (.435 FG%, .781 FT%). The No. 2 overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, Turner posted 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists (.460 FG%, .708 FT%) in 73 contests (two starts) last season. The Ohio State product has appeared in 63 playoff games (27 starts), averaging 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 23.5 minutes.
Bazemore, a seven-year veteran, appeared in 355 games (242 starts) in five seasons with Atlanta, averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 24.8 minutes. Through 483 games (257 starts) with the Warriors, Lakers and Hawks, the six-foot-five swingman has compiled 8.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 20.7 minutes per contest (.419 FG%, .352 3FG%).
An undrafted free agent from Old Dominion, Bazemore converted 453 three-pointers in a Hawks uniform, the eighth-highest total in franchise history. He received the Jason Collier Memorial Trophy in 2018-19, awarded annually to the Hawks player who most closely exemplifies the characteristics of a community ambassador displayed by Collier, the late Atlanta center who passed away in 2005.
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young was named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played March 18-24, it was announced today. The first-year guard from the University of Oklahoma averaged 25.3 points and 11.3 assists in three games, leading the Hawks to a 2-1 record against foes who entered the contests with a combined .628 winning percentage, capped by a game-winning shot in a 129-127 victory over Philadelphia.
Young compiled three straight games with at least 20 points and 10 assists, tied for the longest streak in the Eastern Conference this season. The six-foot-two point guard opened the week with his highest assist total of the stretch, handing out 12 helpers and scoring 21 points against Houston on March 19. On March 21, Young scored a team-high 23 points and recorded a game-high 11 assists in a 117-114 victory over Utah.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Young totaled 32 points (11-20 FGs, 4-9 3FGs, 6-7 FTs), 11 assists, six boards and a block against the Sixers on March 23. Young sealed the victory with a game-winning floater with 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock. Young’s 32 points and 11 assists marked the fifth time this season he’s totaled at least 30 points and 10 assists in a game, tying him with Stephen Curry and Michael Jordan for the second-most such contests by a rookie in NBA history.
Young, who took home Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for November, January and February, is the first rookie in either conference to win Player of the Week this season and the first Hawks player to win the award since Paul Millsap on April 11, 2016.
Through 74 starts, Young is averaging 18.7 points, 7.9 assists (fourth in the NBA) and 3.6 rebounds this season. Young’s 583 total assists lead all Eastern Conference players this season (second in the NBA)
The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has signed guard Jaylen Adams to a multi-year contract, the team announced today.
Adams, originally signed to a two-way contract by the Hawks on July 1, 2018, has played in 10 games with Atlanta, averaging 1.3 points in 4.5 minutes. In 19 starts with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League, he has averaged 15.8 points, 6.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 32.4 minutes.
Adams, a 6’2” guard, played four years at St. Bonaventure, and as a senior in 2017-18, averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 37.0 minutes (.438 FG%, .436 3FG%, .851 FT%). He was the Atlantic 10 Conference Co-Player of the Year and an AP Honorable Mention All-American last season. He was First Team All-Conference in each of his final three collegiate seasons.
Atlanta Hawks forward Taurean Prince sustained a left ankle injury during the fourth quarter of last night’s contest vs. Golden State.
A MRI performed today at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex revealed a ligament sprain, bone bruise and associated soft tissue inflammation. He’ll be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks and his status will be updated as appropriate.
The second-year player is averaging 15.0 PPG, 2.3 APG, 4.0 RPG this season.
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young was named the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November, it was announced today.
Young led all first-year players in the East with 15.6 points and 7.6 assists per game during first two months of the season, compiling an NBA rookie-best seven point/assist double-doubles. The 6-2 point guard strung together three consecutive contests with at least 10 points and 10 assists from Nov. 1-6, becoming the first rookie with three straight point/assist doubles within his first 10 career games since John Wall in 2010.
In his third professional game, the University of Oklahoma product scored 35 points and dished out 11 assists in a 133-111 win at Cleveland on Oct. 21. The effort made Young the first player to record a 35-point/11-assist game within the first 10 contests of his career and paired him with Steph Curry (2/10/10) as the only rookies ever with 35 points, 11 assists and six 3FGM in a single game.
In a 123-118 victory over Miami on Nov. 3, Young became the first rookie in NBA history to total 24 points, 15 assists, six rebounds, two three-pointers and one block in a single game. On Nov. 19 against the LA Clippers, Young totaled 25 points and an NBA season-high 17 assists, becoming the first rookie since Jason Kidd (3/13/95) with at least 25 points and 17 helpers in a game.
Young currently ranks 7th in the NBA in assists, averaging 7.6 per game.
The Hawks host the Golden State Warriors tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the all-new State Farm Arena.
According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, the Hawks trade Dwight Howard and 31st pick in 2017 draft to Hornets for Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli, and the 41st pick in 2017 draft.
Howard, 31, is on the move again. Maybe the Hornets will be a great fit for him. Ironically enough, shortly before the trade was reported, Howard was doing a Q & A on Twitter about NBA trades. Talk about perfect timing!
