According to the NBA "breaking news" WOJ, the Atlanta Hawks sent three people, including Tytai Washington, Garuba and Rudy Gay who had just been traded from the Rockets, plus a second-round pick to the Oklahoma Thunder, in exchange for Australian veteran Patty Mills, who had also just been traded.
By doing so, the Eagles will save a further $4.5 million in total salaries.
This can actually be understood as the follow-up operation of the Rockets signing Dillon Brooks big deal, this transaction involves a total of five teams such as the Rockets, Thunder, Grizzlies, Hawks, Nets, etc., in addition to the Rockets who want to get Dillon, the rest of the teams are more out of compressing salary space and accumulating draft picks.
With last season's failure, the Hawks changed their previous lavish operation this offseason and began to significantly pay the team's salary. Sending John Collins off previously lowered the team's total salary below the luxury tax and received a $25 million trade exception.
They also want to trade forward DeAndre Hunt, who was given the fourth pick in the first round in '19, to make room for another youngster, A.J. Griffin.
Previous media reports have freed up salary space for the Hawks this season. And plan to get Brownie James in the 2024 draft, and their ultimate goal is likely to be LeBron James.
Otherwise, with Trae Young, their series of operations this year would be too weird.