Hawks Add 2024 Lottery Pick in Trade That Reshapes Their Backcourt Again

The Atlanta Hawks just keep tinkering with their guard rotation. On Monday, they pulled the trigger on a deal to bring in Devin Carter from the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The trade sends Carter and a future second-round pick to Atlanta.

Carter went 13th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft out of Providence. He’s a 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard who came into the league known mostly for his defense on the perimeter. But his offense has been catching up. In his second NBA season, he appeared in 38 games and averaged 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 41.4% from the floor. That’s a noticeable jump from his rookie year, when he put up just 3.8 points, 2.1 boards and 1.1 dimes across 36 games.

The Hawks have been busy. They already re-signed veteran C.J. McCollum, picked Houston product Kingston Flemings at No. 8 in the draft, and still have reigning Most Improved Player Nickeil Alexander-Walker coming off his breakout season. So adding Carter gives them another young, defensive-minded guard who can push the pace and fill in right away.

Perimeter defense was a real weak spot for Atlanta last season. They gave up way too many open looks and struggled to stay in front of quicker guards. Carter isn’t a star, but he’s the kind of scrappy, high-motor defender who can make life harder on opposing ball handlers. That’s a need the Hawks clearly wanted to address.

The Kings, on the other hand, were reportedly looking to free up some roster space and maybe recoup some future draft capital. Carter’s numbers were trending up, but he wasn’t a locked-in rotation piece for them. So they moved him for a second-round pick and opened a spot to maybe make another move before the start of the season.

Atlanta’s backcourt is now a mix of veteran experience and raw energy. McCollum and Alexander-Walker handle the scoring and playmaking. Carter and Flemings bring the youth and defensive potential. It’s a group that could look pretty different from last year’s unit. Whether it’s better remains to be seen, but the Hawks aren’t waiting around to find out. They’re chasing a top-six seed in the East next season, and this trade is another bet on that goal.