BREAKING: Hawks Trade Former 1st Round Pick AJ Griffin For The No. 44 Pick in the 2024 NBA Draft

Griffin was selected by the Hawks in the first round back in 2022

Oct 14, 2023; College Park, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward AJ Griffin (14) drives the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) during the third quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports | Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks have just made a trade, but it is not the one that people have been waiting to see. Former 1st round pick AJ Griffin has been dealt to the Houston Rockets for the No. 44 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft per multiple reports.

ESPN Sources: The Atlanta Hawks are trading F AJ Griffin to the Houston Rockets for the 44th pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft. Griffin, 20, was a 2022 first-round pick out of Duke. pic.twitter.com/IhjHKnCxCd

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024

Griffin had a solid rookie season with the Hawks in 2022-2023, but he fell out of the rotation last year and struggled when he did get playing time. During his rookie season, Griffin averaged 8.9 PPG and shot 39% from three in 72 games. Last season, he played in 20 games, averaging 2.4 PPG and shooting only 25% from three. Griffin took time away from the team for a personal absence in December.

One notable thing about this trade is that it puts Atlanta right at the $171M luxury tax.

I am still a believer in Griffin and his three-point shooting ability to help a team, but it seemed pretty clear that the he might need a fresh start somewhere else. It will be interesting to see who the Hawks target with the No. 44 pick in the second round of this draft.

The Hawks did not have a 2nd round pick in this year's draft until this deal. The only first round pick they had last night was the No. 1 overall pick and after much speculation about what they were going to do with the No. 1 pick, stayed put and drafted French forward Zaccharie Risacher, who had become the odds-on favorite to be selected No.1. There were no trades or surprises, the Hawks stuck at No. 1 and took the guy most people thought they were going to take. There is a lot of debate over whether Risacher deserves to go No. 1, but he does bring a certain skill set that is coveted around the NBA, which is a big wing player who can guard multiple positions and shoot the ball well.

Stayed tuned for more later today. The 2nd round of the 2024 NBA Draft is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m.