Atlanta Hawks officially announce Kyle Korver trade

Since Thursday evening, there has been a trade reportedly in place that would send Atlanta Hawks swingman Kyle Korver to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, we have official confirmation, as the team formally announced the news on Saturday afternoon.

The specifics of the deal are that the Hawks will receive a future first round pick (reported to be a 2019 selection with top-10 protection) along with both Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Mo Williams. Korver will head to Cleveland on his own, with the Cavaliers opening up a roster spot and saving on their sizable luxury tax bill.

As part of the announcement, Mike Budenholzer had this to say about Korver and his impact on the organization.

"We are incredibly grateful to Kyle for his contributions to the Hawks over the last five years. He is a professional in every sense of the word and played a significant part in establishing our culture and in the success this franchise has seen. This is a difficult decision, but one we felt was in the best interest of the organization."

For the Hawks, there could be work left to do. Both Dunleavy Jr. and Williams are seen as potential trade chips, though Williams is effectively retired and Atlanta could simply waive his contract and presumably collect insurance on said deal.

There was extensive reporting since the trade first surfaced that Dunleavy Jr. was marketed to several different NBA teams. On the Hawks side, it does not appear to make much sense that the team would hold on to the veteran forward given the presence of players like Taurean Prince, DeAndre Bembry and Tim Hardaway Jr., but Atlanta needs a willing partner to assume Dunleavy’s contract.

With Ryan Kelly off roster, the Hawks now have 15 players again. It will be interesting to see how long that set-up lasts. Stay tuned.

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