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Per a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Atlanta Hawks have gotten their offseason started with a bang, agreeing to a trade with the Brooklyn Nets to trade Taurean Prince and an unprotected 2021 second-round pick in exchange for Allen Crabbe, the Nets’ 2019 first-round pick (No. 17), and a 2020 first-round pick, protected for the lottery. The full protections on that 2020 first-rounder, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe: lottery-protected in 2020 through 2022, at which point it will convert to two second rounders.
Brooklyn is trading Allen Crabbe and No. 17 pick in 2019 NBA Draft and protected first in 2020 to Atlanta for Taurean Prince and 2021 second-round pick, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 6, 2019
The trade technically cannot be completed until July 6, when the league-wide moratorium ends and teams are officially able to use their 2019-20 cap space. For the moment, Atlanta does not have the requisite financial flexibility to make this trade, but they will as soon as the new league year begins.
This move cuts about $17 million out of Atlanta’s available cap space for 2019-20 (Crabbe’s salary is $18.5 million for next year), but the addition of yet another draft pick to their 2019 coffers would strongly indicate that another move is in the works or something else will be forthcoming in the next few weeks, as general manager Travis Schlenk has been honest about the team not wanting to add five rookies in the draft. Now, he has six 2019 picks to use in trades: No. 8, No. 10, and No. 17 in the first round, as well as No. 35, No. 41, and No. 44 in the second. More moves are almost sure to come as Schlenk and his staff look to consolidate the Hawks’ 2019 draft assets.
Wojnarowski expanded on Atlanta’s plans, adding that the Hawks had been looking to move back from No. 10 but now may be armed with enough firepower to move up on June 20:
Atlanta had been motivated to keep No. 8 and use 10 to trade back for a future asset, league sources tell ESPN. Now, Nos. 8, 10, 17, 35, 41 and 44 give the Hawks the flexibility to move up -- perhaps as high as Cleveland's pick at No. 5. Hawks GM Travis Schlenk has options. https://t.co/RqjV5uxkNG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 6, 2019
Prince has been on the trade block for quite some time, after rumors circulated in January that he was available before the February trade deadline. Prince is entering the fourth year of his rookie scale contract and had posted a few up-and-down years for the Hawks to begin his career.
Crabbe comes to Atlanta by way of Portland and Brooklyn — he originally signed this contract with the Portland Trail Blazers after completing his first contract in the league, then was traded to Brooklyn two years ago. The Nets, looking to clear cap space for their free agency aspirations, have now moved him to Atlanta.
This trade comes on the heels of former Atlanta assistant general manager Jeff Peterson taking a job with the Nets in late May after several years with the Hawks.