The Atlanta Hawks have traded Kyle Korver to the Cleveland Cavaliers. We assess the trade and give it a grade.
All good things must come to an end. Sooner or later, we all learn that the hard way. Kyle Korver came to the Atlanta Hawks before the 2012-13 season. He was traded to Atlanta by the Chicago Bulls for cash considerations.
In Atlanta he became a fan favorite. Over the course of five seasons, he averaged 10.9 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting from the field and 45.2 percent from three-point range. His best season came during the magical 60-win season.
In 2014-15 Korver barely missed from outside, shining in Mike Budenholzer’s “pace and space” offensive system. He averaged 12.1 points per game on 48.7 percent from the field and 49.2 percent from three-point distance. He was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team, and helped lead the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals. Just his presence on the floor changed the way opponents had to defend the Hawks. He was their “X-Factor”.
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Last season saw a slight dip in his performance. He shot only 39.8 percent from three, his lowest mark since the 2008-09 season. He has rebounded slightly this season, but he has been relegated to a bench role.
Korver has still been a valuable contributor to the Hawks, but it’s clear that he’ll never be better than he was during the 2014-15 season.
Korver has played his last game as an Atlanta Hawk.
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, the Hawks have agreed to trade Korver to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Mike Dunleavy Jr., Mo Williams and a protected 2019 or 2020 first round pick. The deal was finalized on Saturday.
Dunleavy may not be sticking around. They couldn’t find a third team to take him in this transaction, but I would bet on Atlanta continuing to shop him until the trade deadline. If they can’t find a suitor, he’ll serve as a shooter off of the bench.
In the end this was a trade the Hawks had to make. They’re not winning anything significant this season. Sure, they might make the playoffs, but they can’t compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Toronto Raptors.
It’s time to rebuild, and Korver is a 35-year-old soon to be free agent. You can’t let nostalgia get in the way of improving the long-term outlook of your organization. Kudos to the Atlanta front office for pulling the trigger on an emotionally difficult deal. Accumulating assets is paramount as this organization moves forward.
The Hawks did well to get a first round pick for him. I’d have preferred to see them snatch away a young rotation player from the Cavs rather than Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Mo Williams, but all things considered, they got fair value back for Korver.
I’ll reserve final judgement on the overall impact of this move until we find out what the Hawks can get for Dunleavy. Even if they can’t move him, getting a first round was a success. Reports would suggest that the Hawks aren’t done trading away pieces just yet. Stay tuned.
Grade: B+
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