Devin Carter trade grades for Hawks, Kings

With NBA free agency on the horizon, there are teams looking to find ways to clear cap space, while others are trying to bring back some of their own players on long-term deals. Trades have also occurred over the past few weeks, and the Atlanta Hawks have had their hand in two of them, with the latest being with the Sacramento Kings.

The Hawks acquired Devin Carter and a second-round pick from the Kings, and it looks like both teams accomplished different goals in the deal. The Hawks were able to add another guard to their team, while the Kings cleared their books and traded away one of the many guards they have on the team already.

Here are some trade grades for both teams.

Hawks make low-risk, high-reward move with Devin Carter

Carter was the 13th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and it’s safe to say he still hasn’t found his footing in the league through two years. He did have a better sophomore season, averaging 8.9 points in 38 games played this past year. Carter’s 3-point shooting hasn’t been the best since coming into the league, but his athleticism and how he gets to the rim make up for that.

Outside of the shooting, he had almost everything that the Hawks are looking for in a guard, as he plays good defense and plays bigger than his size. He’s only making $5.1 million this coming season as well, so in no way is he hurting the team cap-wise, and he has a team option for his fourth-year.

The Hawks also landed a second-round pick in this one, which shows the Kings were looking to get off his contract.

Hawks trade grade: B+

Kings find more clarity in their guard rotation

After drafting Darius Acuff Jr., the Kings were set to have a handful of guards on their team that included Carter, Nique Clifford and Malik Monk. Even though Monk had been in trade rumors over the past few seasons, he was still productive for the Kings, which made Carter the odd man out in the guard rotation.

This simply felt like a move where the Kings wanted to move off a contract, as they were expected to be over the first apron. For a team that hasn’t had much success over the past few years, being near the first apron is not where you want to be. There are still some other moves the Kings are expected to make throughout the offseason, but this looked to be the first step.

Kings trade grade: B