Hawks acquire Devin Carter in trade with Kings

Carter was the 13th overall pick in the draft just a couple of years ago and is still just 24 years old. The fact that the Kings are willing to attach a future pick to get rid of him just to dump his salary isn’t a promising sign, but the Hawks needed depth at the point guard position and there’s at least some hope a change of scenery could do him a great deal of good.

The Kings have been a dumpster fire for decades at this point, and this past season was a perfect example, pulling starters on a nightly basis just to tank in the standings. No young player is going to have a lot of success in that type of situation, and Atlanta has been among the best organizations when it comes to player development — with Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker being two of the best examples, the last two winners of the league’s Most Improved Player award.

Carter appeared in 38 games this past season, averaging 8.9 points and 2.7 assists in 18.4 minutes per game. We’ll see if he can carve out a role for himself in Atlanta, but the Hawks have done a wonderful job improving their depth in the backcourt this offseason, which was a problem area for the team a season ago.