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 first-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 can not be announced until after the NBA moratorium period ends Friday.
The Clippers would receive Danilo Gallinari in a sign-and-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 first-round draft pick, the top-three protected selection in 2018 that the Clippers received from the Rockets. New Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk expressed a plan that includes rebuilding through the draft, and the pick will be a major 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 2009-11. The Hawks could waive, trade or buy out Crawford if they choose to work with him or 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.
Stone is said to have shown some growth in the past year, but needs development. He has played in the G League for the Santa Cruz Warriors and Salt Lake City Stars.
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