On Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks were part of a 3-team trade with the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers. In the deal, Lonzo Ball heads to Utah, where he is expected to be waived and free to sign with any team. Utah will also receive Cleveland's 2028 and 2032 second-round picks. As part of the trade, the Hawks landed center Jock Landale.
But before acquiring the big man out of St. Mary's, the Hawks and Dallas Mavericks were in talks about a possible Daniel Gafford trade. But both sides could not come to an agreement. The Mavs were reportedly looking for a first-round pick, according to Marc Stein. Atlanta countered with a second-round selection, but was not going to budge.
That led the Hawks to pivot to the 3-team deal.
In Landale, Atlanta gets a young, talented big man who has shown some improvement in his fifth NBA season. After struggling to get minutes with the San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets, the Australian center finally played meaningful minutes in Memphis this season.
He averaged 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in just over 23 minutes per game. Additionally, he showed off his range, knocking down 38% of his threes this season on 2.9 attempts per game.
The depth in the paint was much needed for the Hawks. Kristaps Porzingis has barely played all season, for one reason or another. That signing is looking worse by the day. Onyeka Okongwu has finally been given starters' minutes, and he has shone. But beyond him, there is very little depth.
The Mavericks are clearly in rebuild mode. Earlier on Wednesday, they agreed to trade Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. Gafford certainly holds some trade value, particularly with him being under contract through the 2028-29 season. But it appears the Hawks found a much cheaper, younger, depth piece.
