Hawks trade former first-round selection in exchange for 2024 NBA Draft pick
Atlanta Hawks forward AJ Griffin.
The Hawks and Rockets have agreed to a trade that will send forward AJ Griffin to Houston in exchange for the No. 44 pick in Thursday’s draft, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Griffin, the 16th overall pick in the 2022 draft, had a promising rookie season in which he averaged 8.9 points per game with a .465/.390/.894 shooting lines in 72 contests (19.5 MPG).
However, he missed time due to leg and ankle issues and personal reasons in 2023-24 and didn’t play much when he was available, averaging just 8.6 minutes per contest in 20 appearances. His scoring numbers cratered to 2.4 PPG on 29.0% shooting (.256 3PT%).
Despite his forgettable sophomore season, Griffin had been a player of interest in Houston for a while, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
The Rockets, who will be operating over the cap but have plenty of breathing room below the luxury tax line, will be able to acquire the 20-year-old without sending out a player because they have a $4.5M trade exception from last year’s Kevin Porter trade that Griffin will fit into, as Bobby Marks of ESPN reports. Using a trade exception created last year will hard-cap Houston at the first tax apron for 2024-25.
Griffin will earn a guaranteed $3.89M salary for next season, and the Rockets will have until the end of October to decide whether to exercise his $5.97M team option for the 2025-26 season.
The Hawks have been exploring possible deals involving Griffin since February’s trade deadline, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. The move will help them financially — as Marks reports, Atlanta’s projected team salary is now at the luxury tax line. However, it would increase to first tax apron territory if Saddiq Bey gets a qualifying offer.
The Hawks, whose own second-round pick at No. 40 is controlled by Portland, will now have the opportunity to select a player in a similar range at No. 44 tonight.
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