Who Won the Hawks-Kings Trade?
Last night, the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings agreed to a deal centered around Sacramento’s Center, Dewayne Dedmon and Atlanta’s Power Forward, Jabari Parker. The two franchises are both likely in the lottery, trying to prepare for the near future. Atlanta has been active on the trade market, trying to acquire big men to play with Trae Young, while Sacramento is still in asset-accumulation mode. The swap was not exactly an expected one, but it does shake up the two franchises a bit. Both of the teams fill a hole they felt they had, but who walked away from this trade as a winner?
The Atlanta Hawks:
Receive: Dewayne Dedmon
2020 Second Round pick
2021 Second Round pick
This trade came directly after the Hawks acquired Clint Capela from the Houston Rockets. The Hawks had been searching for a Center all season and after acquiring both Capela and Nene, they seemed to be set. They didn’t think so, though, as they have now traded for Sacramento’s Center.
Dewayne Dedmon had been asking for a trade for some time. The improvements of Richuan Holmes and Harry Giles left little minutes for the 30 year-old veteran. Unsatisfied with his role, he requested a trade.
Dedmon was traded to the team where he earned his contract on. In the 2018-2019 season, he averaged 10.8 points and 7.5 rebound for the Hawks before leaving in free agency to sign a bigger contract.
The Hawks ended up trading to get him back last night. The Hawks appear to be showing a pattern of trading for players previously on their team as they traded for former Hawk, Jeff Teague earlier this season. Atlanta seems to be uniting new Hawks with old, which, intentional or not, may be one of the smartest team chemistry moves for a young team.
After the four-team trade Atlanta participated in yesterday, it seemed like Alex Len would be their backup Center for the season, but they wanted better. Dedmon is a clear upgrade at the backup Center spot and brings a veteran presence that is overlooked, but essential to young teams. They also now have both of their Centers locked up for the next two seasons, which will help Trae really build chemistry with his big men.
Along with Dedmon, the Hawks receive two Second Round picks. Second Round picks may not seem all that valuable, but several good young players have come out of the Second Round recently like Bruno Fernando and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. Notably this year, if this pick is Sacramento’s or Detroit’s, the pick will be in the lower 30s which has plenty of solid four-year college players being overlooked.
The Sacramento Kings:
Receive: Jabari Parker
Alex Len
The Kings receive two big men under the age of 25. Len likely will not play much, having Dedmon’s role as a third-string Center. The main acquisition for the Kings is Jabari Parker. Parker is having his best season since his 2016-2017 season. Although currently injured, he has averaged 15.0 points per game on 50.4% shooting.
Parker gained a lot of attention filling in for John Collins during his suspension. He put on a show that hasn’t been seen by him for a while. This season hopefully stopped the increasing possibility of him becoming an NBA journeyman, as this is now his fourth team in two seasons.
The Kings now have a young player that can take the place of Nemanja Bjelica as next season is the last year of his contract. Parker perfectly fits the mold for Sacramento’s young core and can provide effective and efficient minutes in the future.
Jabari will play in a core that consists of Fox, Hield, Barnes and Holmes. All of these players are solid, above average players who all provide a solid role. Barnes likely won’t stay for long as long, athletic wings are in high demand for contending teams, but that will leave more minutes for the 6’8 Parker who is capable of playing some Small Forward.
Parker is a key asset for the King’s rebuild that has been going on for more than a decade. The Kings are hopefully finding a bit of light at the end of the tunnel with the addition of Jabari. They now have two solid pieces for the far future in Parker and Fox and will need to build around those two in future drafts and off-seasons.
So, who won the trade? Atlanta essentially traded one of their best bench assets for another Center, but Parker’s injury history and the two Second Round picks are solid reasons to move on from him. The Kings receive their starting Power Forward of the future and Parker is only 24.
Atlanta gets a C. This trade would have been a joke had it not been for the two Second Rounders. Dewayne Dedmon is massively overpaid and they already have backup Centers in Nene and Len. Still, Dedmon has been with the Hawks before, and Hawks fans have a fondness of the veteran.
Sacramento gets a B+. Second Round picks are not that valuable and they moved one of the worse contracts in the NBA. In return, they get a player who is very tough and has the potential to be a special player. Acquiring a player with this youth and potential for a third-string Center getting paid $40 Million over three years is a job well done by the front office. Sacramento appears to be the winner of this trade. Nothing can be said for sure until the Second Round picks are actually used, but at first glance, victory goes to Sacramento.
