Atlanta Hawks Send Shelvin Mack To Jazz For Second-Round Pick

Although Al Horford and Jeff Teague may stay with the Atlanta Hawks, the Utah Jazz managed to snag Shelvin Mack at the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline.

Shelvin Mack may not be the hottest Atlanta Hawks player at this NBA Trade Deadline, but he’s the first one to get traded. The Utah Jazz have pried him away from Atlanta for the low price of one second-round pick, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Woj is rarely if ever wrong about trade reports, so the only thing likely to change here is if another asset were to be included on either side. It’s not unlikely that this is the entire deal though, seeing as Utah does indeed have an empty roster spot.

This deal makes some sense for both parties. The Jazz finally get themselves a point guard, something they’ve needed since Dante Exum tore his ACL this summer. Utah has been committed to not overpaying a team to get someone who wouldn’t work out with their core, so giving up merely a second-round pick for Mack is ideal for the Jazz.

Related Story: 2016 NBA Trade Deadline Live Tracker

Mack may not come in and light the world on fire in Utah, but he should get an opportunity to be a full-time starter for the first time. Right now Raul Neto holds that position, and it’s unclear if he or Mack will get the nod going forward. Neither are gifted shooters, so that much won’t change in Utah.

This was a smart trade for Atlanta for a few reasons. Mack didn’t have much of a role with the Hawks, and dealing him away for no player in return gives Atlanta an open roster spot to play with.

Plus, obviously, the Hawks get another second-round pick in some upcoming draft. That roster spot could prove more valuable than the pick.

Oftentimes teams have to release players to make room for other deals happening at the NBA trade deadline, such as the Portland Trail Blazers dropping Tim Frazier to make room for Anderson Varejao.

Portland might intend on re-signing Frazier after waiving Varejao, but Atlanta could slide in and attempt to steal him away with their open roster spot now.

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If something like that is to occur, Atlanta essentially switches bench guards and nets a second-round pick out of the deal. That’s just smart business acumen.

There’s also another layer to this trade. Jazz coach Quin Snyder is a former assistant to Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer.

Much like the San Antonio Spurs tossed Tiago Splitter to the Hawks for nothing to make cap space this offseason, Atlanta could be throwing Snyder a bone with Mack. Those kind of relationships are important in understanding the moves teams make sometimes.

This trade speaks to other potential deals in the works. Now that they’re down to two point guards, Atlanta has shut down all talk of trading Teague, according to Woj:

That goes along with an earlier report from Woj that claims the Hawks aren’t looking to move Al Horford either, or “key guards.” Shelvin Mack must feel terrible that he’s not a key guard, according to Woj:

Atlanta could have just switched from selling mode into buying mode, now that the team has another asset and a roster spot to use. The Hawks will be a team to watch for the rest of the deadline, even if they elect not to deal Horford.