Moments after announcing a deal that would bring Saddiq Bey to Atlanta, Adrian Wojnarowski reported another Hawks trade. One that would send Frank Kaminsky, Justin Holiday, and two second-round picks to the Rockets in exchange for Bruno Fernando and Garrison Matthews in a cost-cutting move.
The Hawks are trading Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky to Houston for Garrison Matthews and Bruno Fernando, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023
It seems the Hawks trade for Saddiq Bey pushed the team over the luxury tax threshold, leading to this salary dump. Still, Justin Holiday has been a zero this season. After coming over from Sacramento in a different salary dump, Holiday has provided next to nothing. Meanwhile, Kevin Huerter is thriving with the Kings, experiencing the best season of his career. It will go down as one of the worst trades in franchise history.
Bruno Fernando was a second-round pick from the 2019 NBA Draft and spent his first two seasons in Atlanta, averaging 10.6 minutes per game over that period. Garrison Matthews has spent two seasons in Houston and Washington D.C. He posted 10.0 points per game in 2021-22 on 26.3 minutes per contest.
The prize of this deal is Saddiq Bey, though. The resulting salary dump is just a by-product. I wouldn’t put too much stock into this move, other than the team’s value of second-round picks. If you’re counting at home, the Hawks have shelled out seven second-round picks this NBA trade deadline. It’s incredibly difficult to hit on those later picks, and Atlanta isn’t going to roll the dice.
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What do you think of the latest Hawks trade?
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Photographer: Rusty Jones/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire
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