By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In a cost-cutting move, the Atlanta Hawks are trading guard TyTy Washington Jr., forwards Usman Garuba and Rudy Gay, and a future second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Patty Mills, per ESPN.
The deal takes the Thunder to a staggering 35 draft picks in the seven years — including 15 first-rounders.
The Hawks will save $4.5 million in salary on the deal and give the Thunder the second-round pick for taking on the additional salary. Both the Hawks and Thunder acquired Washington, Garuba, and Mills along with second-round picks from Houston last week.
It is unclear if either team will keep any of these players on its roster, especially the Thunder, who now have 21 players under contract, the maximum allowed during the offseason.
The 21-year-old Garuba was a first-round draft pick in Houston in 2021 and there are more teams interested in acquiring him per the same report with the intentions of the Thunder about his future being unclear.
Mills has been traded three times in the past 10 days, beginning with Brooklyn to Houston, Houston to Oklahoma City, and now on to Atlanta. His $6.8 million expiring contract fits into deals to make salaries match up, and Atlanta is still deciding whether he’ll be a part of its preseason roster.