The 2026 NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and the Hawks’ roster looks fairly different as compared to earlier in the season. We have yet to see three of the acquired players play for the team, but enough dust has settled by now to judge the totality of the moves.
Let’s get to it and go through each move chronologically (according to when the news broke), and how I grade them based on short-term and long-term impact:
CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert for Trae Young
This one was the blockbuster that kicked off things early in January. Enough time
has passed, and so I won’t go through the minutiae of it all.
Trae Young had been seeking an extension since the summer given that he holds just a $49 million player option for next season and nothing beyond that. The Hawks neglected to offer him an extension.
Ultimately Young’s value as a defense-deficient, ball dominant guard outweighed his track record as a productive offensive engine. But the team was still motivated to find a resolution — even as Young was sidelined with injury. And so, he, his agents, and the team quickly found a home for him in the District of Columbia.
Coming the other way was microwave combo scorer (now in a sixth man role) CJ McCollum and big-bodied wing Corey Kispert who is equally comfortable shooting or driving on the offensive end. Both are clearly both useful depth players with the former on an expiring contract and the latter on a deal that extends for two more years at $13.5 million annually (plus a team option in 2028-29).
Given the drama that surrounded his financials for half a season, the Hawks did do well to act early and turn the keys to the franchise over to Jalen Johnson. But frankly, they dealt Young at his lowest value and netted just so little in return (they couldn’t even muster one measly pick?).
Time will truly tell if the Wizards can build a consistent winner around Young. But without the benefit of hindsight, I’d have to say the team just barely passed this test — and certainly without flying colors.
Grade: C-
Duop Reath and two second rounders for Vit Krejci
Duop Reath has since been waived, but he was never the true focal point of this deal.
Vit Krejci was an outstanding development story for the Hawks. From arriving from Oklahoma City for very little, to getting cut, to playing for both the Iowa Wolves and later the College Park Skyhawks on a two-way deal. Along the way, he gained more and more confidence in his three-point shot.
By the time he was sent to Portland at this deadline, he had become one of the league’s deadliest three-point shooters. Dating back to 2023-24, he has shot 42% on 4.1 attempts per game.
In the 2024 offseason, he signed a multi-year minimum value deal to remain with the Hawks. But recent moves may have crowded out his position in the rotation going forward.
Atlanta sent him to Portland this week in a deal that allows him to see minutes for a Blazers team that badly needs shooting. And in return, the Hawks netted two second-round picks: their own pick back in 2027 that they gave up in a deal to land Mouhamed Gueye in the 2023 NBA Draft and New York’s 2030 second rounder.
So, they landed two picks for a player they didn’t see in their plans in more — although admittedly a fan favorite on a great contract. Sentimentalities aside, it’s a minor win and nothing more.
Grade: B
Jock Landale for cash considerations
This is an easy one. When did cash considerations ever grab a rebound? Or block a shot? Or put the ball in the bucket?
I promise I had this take prior to Landale’s explosion in his first game with the Hawks. Landale tied his career high in points (26) and assists (5), grabbed a ton of rebounds (11), and he set a new career high with made threes (5) in a narrow home win on Thursday.
The burly center brings a level of physicality as a rebounder and space clearer in the lane that the Hawks desperately need, plus he capably stretches the floor to space the court for Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and others to get downhill.
He even drove from Memphis to Atlanta just to open up a can on the Utah Jazz (who were clearly shorthanded and not particularly interested in winning). Landale was in the middle of a breakout season with the Grizz before being sent to Utah in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, so he decided to take out his revenge on a team that saw no use for him.
With the Jazz facing a roster crunch, especially with their glut of bigs, Atlanta had the wherewithal to pounce and grab him for straight cash homie.
It’s an obvious A from me.
Grade: A+
Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield for Kristaps Porzingis
This is a weird one that I have yet to wrap my brain around.
It’s clear that from Atlanta’s point of view, Porzingis’ continued absences from the lineups were difficult to chew on. No one is to blame here, of course, as ‘KP’ was very open about his battle with post-viral syndrome and/or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
Everyone involved believed he was passed those health struggles, but clearly he was not — not to mention a recent Achilles injury that kept him out of his final games with the Hawks.
On the other side, Golden State has had a very public saga with their former number seven overall pick who has largely seen inconsistent minutes at best for a fading dynasty. Steve Kerr made some very candid comments about where things went wrong on Thursday evening:
So a deal came together along wherein two teams felt like a change of scenery was best for everyone involved.
Jonathan Kuminga gets a chance to show he can use his athleticism and be a focal point for an NBA team. It often gets lost that the talented but mercurial forward is just 23 years old. Atlanta is taking a bet that in a different situation, his pre-draft promise can truly shine. I, however, am less than enthused about that prospect:
Also, 33-year-old Buddy Hield is a long for the ride because why not? You can never have too many shooters. Unlike Kuminga, who has a $24.3 million team option for next year, Hield does also have a $3 million partial guarantee, so the Hawk did pick up a tad bit of future money here.
I really don’t know how this will go, but the Hawks got something for a player who was perpetually absent from the lineup, so I’m a tad cautiously optimistic — although mostly skeptical at best.
There’s very little commitment from either side beyond this year. But it’s just so strange a move that it may just work.
Grade: C
Gabe Vincent for Luke Kennard and a second rounder
It’s tough to see Kennard go just as he picked up the scoring aggression. At first, it looked as though his passivity in games would be an anchor on his impact despite gaudy shooting efficiency.
But once a light came on telling him to look for his shot more, he was a genuine weapon off the bench. He’ll figure to continue that hot streak in LA as he plays off Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and others.
On the other side, Gabe Vincent has not performed as well as hoped when he signed a three-year, $33,000,000 off the back of a playoff run with the Miami Heat. In the first season after signing his deal, he had arthroscopic knee surgery and only saw the court for 11 games with the Lakers, all off the bench.
He has bounced back somewhat the past two seasons to be a passable contributor off the bench, but even this year he has dealt with a lumbar back strain.
There’s no doubt that the Lakers are getting the better player in the deal, although Vincent still has some utility as a point guard defender, ball handler and decent three-point shooter. But it’s likely he doesn’t play many meaningful minutes off the suddenly logjammed Hawks bench.
Cynically, like the Krejci deal above, this trade came down to swapping two players with expiring deals (Vincent makes just $500,000 more than Kennard) so that the Hawks could pick up a Lakers 2032 second-round pick. Kennard could have helped the team more down the stretch of this season, but the long-term outlook was prioritized over the short term here.
Another meh win, I suppose.
Grade: B-
What would you grade these deals?
