NFLNBAMLBNHLWNBACFBSoccer
Featured Video
Thunder Take Game 1 Over Lakers ⛈️
Getty Images

Tim Hardaway Jr. to Hawks in 3-Team Trade Involving Jerian Grant and Kelly Oubre

Alec NathanJun 25, 2015

The NBA draft lottery came and went without a single trade, but the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and New York Knicks bucked that trend when the Eastern Conference finalists were on the clock at No. 15 overall. 

According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hawks selected Kansas swingman Kelly Oubre and shipped him to the Wizards in exchange for three picks, including No. 19 overall this year: 

TOP NEWS

Third Annual Monster Energy Big3 Celebrity Game
Los Angeles Lakers v Oklahoma City Thunder - Game One
Los Angeles Lakers v Houston Rockets - Game Three

With the 19th pick, the Wizards proceeded to select Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant, who will reportedly be shipped to the New York Knicks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr., per Wojnarowski:  

Hardaway provides the Hawks with reinforcements on the perimeter. Three-and-D weapon DeMarre Carroll is slated to become an unrestricted free agent, and since Atlanta doesn't have Carroll's Bird rights, it won't be able to exceed the salary cap in order to re-sign him. And since Hardaway can play both the 2 and 3, he plugs a couple of holes.

Grant immediately becomes the most prolific scoring guard on New York's roster. Although Jose Calderon is a steady facilitator, he's not able to take defenders off the dribble like Grant, who averaged 16.5 points and 6.7 assists as a senior at Notre Dame. After adding Latvian stretch 4 Kristaps Porzingis at No. 4 overall, the Knicks did well to address their backcourt and trade back into the first round.  

As for the Wizards, Oubre packs superstar potential into his 6'7'', 203-pound frame, but the small forward struggled at times during his lone season with the Jayhawks. Over the course of 36 games, Oubre averaged 9.3 points and five rebounds while shooting 35.8 percent from three.   

"Once his frame fills out (he has plenty of room to add another 10-15 pounds, if not more) and he figures out how to play with the same type of intensity level on every possession, he has a chance to be an absolute handful on this end of the floor, as long as he puts his mind to it," DraftExpress.com's Jonathan Givony wrote.

The Washington Post's Neil Greenberg passed along more specifics regarding Oubre's pro prospects: 

While it remains to be seen if Oubre will pan out and maximize his athletic tools at the next level, 106.7 The Fan's Grant Paulsen noted it was a relatively low-risk move for the Wizards from an asset-based perspective: 

One thing's for sure, though: Oubre certainly isn't lacking for confidence, as his words and wardrobe revealed, according to ESPN: 

With Paul Pierce able to decline a $5.5 million player option for next season, per Spotrac.com, the Wizards could soon have a gaping hole on the wing for Oubre to fill.  

Thunder Take Game 1 Over Lakers ⛈️

TOP NEWS

Third Annual Monster Energy Big3 Celebrity Game
Los Angeles Lakers v Oklahoma City Thunder - Game One
Los Angeles Lakers v Houston Rockets - Game Three
Atlanta Hawks v New York Knicks - Game Two

TRENDING ON B/R