The Hawks drafted Adreian Payne with the No. 15 pick in last year’s draft, but as they’ve surged into championship contention, they haven’t had much room to develop a rookie.
Payne has played just three games and has spent time in the D-League.
The Timberwolves, who cleared a roster spot with their earlier trade today, are all about developing young players.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN:
Minnesota already traded a first-round pick – top-12 protected this season and next, becoming 2016 and 2017 second rounders otherwise – to the Suns, who flipped it to the Celtics. That’s why the Timberwolves are sending a pick so far into the future – which is good for Atlanta.
The Hawks might not be more conducive to a rookie then, but it’s hard to see it being a worse environment than it is now. Atlanta is, wisely, focused on winning now.
Along those lines, this trade opens a roster spot for the Hawks. Is Ray Allen the next domino to fall?
Payne, who turns 24 next week, is a little old for a rookie. But he’s an impressive athlete with a tough streak and nice shooting touch. He could become a solid stretch four, though there’s a risk he too much of his success at Michigan State was due to being older than the competition. Payne playing for Tom Izzo, Flip Saunders’ buddy, probably played a role in Payne going to Minnesota.
It’s impossible to evaluate this trade without knowing what happens to the draft pick if not conveyed by 2020. It could become a second rounder or an unprotected first – and there’s obviously a big gap between those scenarios.
