Hawks acquire Kristaps Porzingis in three-team trade

The 29-year-old comes with a $30.7 million salary for next season, so the Hawks still have their $25.2 million trade exception if they choose to use it, which would add another high-level player to what looks like could be a very deep rotation.

There are a couple of angles to look at this from, so let’s begin with the negatives. Porzingis is at that age where injury-prone, seven-footers don’t suddenly get healthier. He’s dealt with a slew of lower-body injuries in recent seasons, and for a Hawks team that’s had trouble staying healthy, that is not ideal.

But honestly, that’s really where the negatives end. The Hawks kept their lottery pick, moved off Terance Mann’s underwater contract, and kept their young core together to develop, while still getting much more competitive for next season.

On the court, the Hawks filled the hole left by Clint Capela, and while Porzingis might leave a little bit to be desired in the rebounding department, he provides so much more offensively than Capela while providing similar, if not better, shot blocking ability.

More than anything, the Hawks haven’t had someone in the frontcourt who can consistently stretch the floor since Danilo Gallinari. Porzingis averaged nearly 40% shooting from three-point range over the last three seasons. Onyeka Okognwu can also play with Porzingis, where that wasn’t the case with Capela.

If he can stay relatively healthy, this Kristaps Porzingis trade has the makings of being quite productive, and it’s clear that Onsi Saleh is wheeling and dealing this offseason, trying to build a winner around Trae Young.