The Atlanta Hawks are getting in on the trade deadline action. With the deadline ending at 3 pm ET, there weren’t too many former Kentucky Wildcats that changed teams.
However, future Hall of Fame point guard Rajon Rondo did, and he’s now going to one of the NBA’s top title-contending teams.
Rondo was signed by the Hawks this past offseason after a two-year stint with the Lakers. Proving his value towards the end of last season, the championship-winning Lakers were clearly a better, more organized team with Rondo on the court.
Now, the Los Angeles Clippers will be hoping to get a similar benefit from the pass-first guard. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, he’s being traded for former Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams and a couple of second-round picks.
Clippers also send two future second-round picks to the Hawks in the deal, per source.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
This is a peculiar trade, to say the least. Rondo to Los Angeles makes sense, but Williams to Atlanta is a bit interesting. The two have both been in the league quite a while and have drastically different skill sets.
Williams is an elite scorer. However, his 12.1 points per game are his fewest in the last decade. He’ll still undoubtedly provide a spark off the bench for the Hawks, a team that’ll be in playoff contention in a weak Eastern Conference.
As for Rondo, he’ll return to Los Angeles in hopes of bringing LA another title. A team built around Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Rondo should thrive on a second unit that has snipers like Luke Kennard and Marcus Morris Sr.
Having led the league in assists three times since being taken as a first-round pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, Rondo showed prowess on both sides of the court last season. Many forget he’s been elected to the All-Defensive team four times.
With Williams’ play waning in the latter part of his career, this seems like a win for the Clippers. It’s at least a trade that inches them closer to being title favorites.