The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hawks get 1st-round pick in Millsap deal
The Hawks will get something in return for Paul Millsap after all.
The Hawks have agreed on a three-way trade with the Nuggets and the Clippers that will return Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, a protected fifirst- round pick and cash, according to a person familiar with the situation. The deal was worked on into the early morning hours Tuesday and agreed upon later in the day. The deal cannot be announced until after the NBA moratorium period ends Friday.
The Clippers would receive Danilo Gallinari in a signand-trade from the Nuggets in the other major part of the proposed deal. The Nuggets recently agreed to a three-year, $90 million deal with Hawks unrestricted free agent Paul Millsap on Sunday. For salary-cap purposes, the Nuggets must complete the three-team deal before they are able to sign Millsap. Technically, the Hawks won’t receive direct compensation for losing Millsap, but the three-team trade essentially brings a return.
The Nuggets will receive a second-round pick from the Hawks, a 2019 pick acquired from the Wizards.
The big piece of the trade for the Hawks is the firstround draft pick, the topthree protected selection in 2018 that the Clippers received from the Rockets. New Hawks generalmanager Travis Schlenk expressed a plan that includes rebuilding through the draft, and the pick will be amajor asset.
As for the players the Hawks would receive, Crawford expressed a strong desire not to return to Atlanta, according to a person familiar with the situation. The shooting guard and perennial Sixth Man Award winner played for the Hawks for two seasons from 200911. The Hawks could waive, trade or buy out Crawford if they choose to work with himor he could play for the Hawks next season under his current contract. Crawford is due $14,246,988 next season and $14,500,000 in 2018-19.
Stone was a second-round pick (No. 40) of the Pelicans in 2016 out of Maryland and went to the Clippers in a draft-night trade. The center appeared in only seven games for the Clippers last season and averaged 1.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in 3.4 minutes.