New Orleans -- Mike Bibby got the word Friday night that he might need to start packing for Atlanta, which he started doing.

But the Hawks' new starting point guard won't be in town anytime soon.

AP (ENLARGE)

Mike Bibby, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound, 10-year veteran, has been the Sacramento Kings' starter the last seven season.

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Instead of Bibby settling in for a nice homestand with the Hawks, 21-28 and in the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, he joins them just in time for a five-game Western Conference road trip that begins in Los Angeles on Tuesday and makes a stop in Sacramento Wednesday.

The Hawks traded for the veteran point guard Saturday, completing a 5-for-1 deal by sending point guards Tyronn Lue and Anthony Johnson, veteran center Lorenzen Wright, second-year forward Shelden Williams and a second-round draft pick in the June draft to Sacramento.

The Hawks have 12 players on the roster and have until their next game to add a player to comply with the NBA roster minimum of 13.

"I'm just happy to be there [with the Hawks]," a rushed Bibby said by phone Saturday night, admitting that the sudden nature of the trade left him little time to pack up his things as he headed for his hometown of Phoenix with family. "It's a good group of guys, a young team, and I'm glad to be a part of what's going on there. I think we can do some things."

If "some things" includes helping the Hawks end the NBA's longest current playoff drought, eight years, than that's music to the ears of Hawks fans who have been waiting what seems like forever to get back to the postseason.

The missing piece in a rebuilding process that began four seasons ago has been a quality starting point guard, a role Bibby, a 10-year veteran who served as the catalyst for five straight playoff seasons for the Kings, is ready to fill.

Speedy Claxton was signed two years ago but has struggled with injuries, playing just 31 games since joining the Hawks. Rookie Acie Law IV was drafted with the 11th pick in last June's draft, but still needs seasoning before he's ready to run a team.

Bibby is ready to go now. And he's an upgrade over the veterans the Hawks sent packing.

"It's definitely a good trade for the Hawks," Lue said by phone from Mexico, where he was vacationing for All-Star Weekend. "Bibby's a great point guard. And Acie can learn a lot from him. Bibby's a proven scorer and a proven winner in this league. If you could trade me and AJ for Bibby, you've definitely upgraded the point-guard position.

"Hopefully, this will be what the Hawks need to get to the next level."

That was certainly the vision of Hawks general manager Billy Knight, who pulled off the most shocking deal of a trade season full of them by snatching Bibby away from teams like Cleveland, the defending Eastern Conference champions that have coveted a sweet-shooting veteran floor general to pair with All-Star forward LeBron James for years.

Bibby, who missed the first 36 games of the season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 15 games (12 starts) for the Kings this season.

"Mike's a great guy, and I've always liked his game and what he brings, and I think he's a great fit alongside [Hawks All-Star and captain] Joe Johnson," said Knight, who used the expiring contracts of Lue, Anthony Johnson and Wright to help get the deal done. "We were really just fortunate to be in a position that we could pull this type of deal off. Because it's rare to trade for a starting point guard, and Mike is one of the premier point guards in the league. He's also a proven winner, going back to his college days at Arizona.

"What he brings to our team is an ability to score and distribute the basketball, which brings a new dimension to our team. He's also a proven playoff performer, which is dimension to our ballclub. And I expect this move to energize us, and I've shared that with all of our guys I've talked to since we started this process."

Even though he knew it meant losing good friends like Lue and Wright, Joe Johnson was sold on the idea Saturday, admitting that Bibby presents defenses with all sort of quandaries when trying to decide who to focus on between him and his new backcourt partner.

"They say you have to give up something to get something in return," said Johnson, who will play in his second straight All-Star Game on Sunday. "That's what we did. We had to give up some guys that helped us get to this point to get a guy that can help us get to the next level. And that's what I think we've got in Mike Bibby."