The Hawks officially announced they have traded Rajon Rondo to the Clippers in exchange for Lou Williams, two second-round picks and cash considerations.
Williams brings a veteran presence, scoring off the bench and shot creation, something the Hawks’ second unit has still been struggling with. Rondo may be able to give the Clippers a boost in the postseason, and was a valuable mentor for young Hawks players, but didn’t produce much in 27 games with the Hawks this season.
“Being able to acquire a respected veteran in Lou Williams, one of the best scorers and playmakers off the bench in league history, and two second-round picks accomplished a couple of the goals we had,” Hawks GM Travis Schlenk said. “We are excited to see what Lou can add to our second unit as we try to finish this season strong.”
Trading away Rondo does give the Hawks a hole at backup point guard, though Williams can help fill that. They still have Brandon Goodwin, and other guards who are good passers as well, including Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
With the Clippers this season, Williams was averaging 12.1 points, 3.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds. He was shooting 42.1% from the field, 37.8% from 3-point range and 86.6% on free throws. Last season, he gave the Clippers 18.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in 65 appearances, was No. 4 in the league in bench scoring (17.4 points per game) and had a league-best 18 games with at least 20 points and five assists off the bench.
