Trade specifics: Atlanta Hawks receive Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong; Washington Wizards receive Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans and a 2011 first-round pick.
NBA Trades: Hawks, Wizards Both Grade Well In Kirk Hinrick Deal
Atlanta Hawks: No, this trade won't tip the scales in the Eastern Conference, but it's an outstanding move by Atlanta to get something they desperately needed for virtually nothing. The Hawks' biggest weakness was point guard defense. They resorted to myriad zones and defensive switches to mask his inability to stay in front of the most important player on the floor, particularly in today's NBA. That's no such problem with Hinrich, who is among the league's elite perimeter defenders, even still. He gets beat by quicker guards sometimes, but better help defenders should help fix that. Offensively, he's having the best shooting year of his career, so the Hawks lose nothing.
All this for a young player they weren't using (Crawford), a backup small forward with a 7.4 PER (Evans) and a late first-round pick that wasn't going to yield anyone significant, if they didn't just sell it anyway. Grade: A-
Washington Wizards: Hinrich will be missed on a young team that is lacking in professionalism right now, but he wasn't moving the needle much. The Wizards were able to parlay him into a prospect and a pick, which follows their strategy of rebuilding. Overall, they have now gotten two picks (No. 17 last year for acquiring him, used on Kevin Seraphin) and a prospect that was a first-round pick in the 2010 draft for five months of Hinrich, which is a nice use of assets. You just wonder if they could have kept Hinrich and spent $3 million to buy a late first-round pick instead. Grade: B
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