The Sacramento Kings are trading guard Devin Carter and a future second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Stein Line and Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer notes that the pick is a 2033 second-rounder.
Carter was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 draft, yet has battled injuries and playing for the Kings the past two seasons. He gets a fresh start in Atlanta, a franchise that’s actively collecting guards following the Trae Young trade earlier this year.
The Hawks now have CJ McCollum, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, No. 8 overall pick Kingston Flemings, Aaron Wiggins and Buddy Hield in their backcourt, so it’s hard to see where Carter fits in. Still, taking him on for nothing and getting a future pick is smart business.
In 12 starts this season, Carter averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.3 steals and shot 33.3 percent from deep in 29.0 minutes. He has good defensive potential and registered positive swing ratings in both professional seasons.
This was a salary dump by the Kings to try and get out of the second apron following Zach LaVine picking up his $49 million player option.
Darius Acuff, you’re our only hope.
