Hawks acquire Vit Krejci from Thunder

The Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly agreed to a trade on Tuesday afternoon, with the Hawks agreeing to send Moe Harkless and a second-round pick in exchange for forward/wing Vit Krejci, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Hawks confirmed the move Tuesday evening. Harkless was acquired earlier this offseason in the deal that sent Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings.

The big thing with this move is that the Hawks will now be under the luxury tax, as Krejci is on a minimum salary that is also non-guaranteed. Krejci, a product of Czech Republic, was the No. 37 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He seemingly got squeezed off the Thunder roster, which features several other young, project type players at all positions.

Krejci will now join the Hawks in camp, looking to make the roster with his non-guaranteed contract. Atlanta also now as easy path to another open roster spot with Krejci not being guaranteed. He should however have a decent chance to stick on the roster as the Hawks will carry at least 14 players into the regular season. Krejci is 6’8 and has shown some flashes on the offensive end of the floor, but he has also lost some burst since the 2020 draft due to ACL injuries.

It was only matter of time that the Hawks made some type of move to get under the luxury tax, and it now appears that move has been made. Atlanta hosts an open practice at State Farm Arena on Wednesday evening before heading to Abu Dhabi next week for their first two games of the preseason vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.

Stay tuned.