Hawks trade De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic on deadline day

In return, the Hawks received forward Terance Mann and guard Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland and three second-round picks.

A little while later, the veteran center Zeller, after months on the roster without suiting up in a Hawks uniform, went to the Rockets. The Hawks also returned the 2028 second-round pick they received from the Rockets as part of a deal made they did in July 2023.

The Hawks drafted Hunter out of Virginia with the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

Hunter has had a breakout season in which he has averaged 19 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He’s shot the ball at a 40% clip from deep this season and now provides the Cavaliers a strong player off the bench in their run for championship contention.

The move also cleared over $40 million in salary owed to Hunter over the next two years as a part of his four-year $90 million extension.

LeVert, who recently returned to play after dealing with a wrist injury, adds another a solid shooter to the Hawks rotation. A former Michigan guard has shot 40.5% from deep and is potentially just a rental for the remainder of the season.

The 30-year-old has averaged 10.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He can likely handle some of the Hawks facilitating when guard Trae Young goes to the bench.

In Niang, the Hawks get another strong shooter, who has knocked down 40% of his 3-pointers this season. Niang reunited with Hawks coach Quin Snyder, who coached him for four years in Utah.

The Hawks acquired Bogdanovic in November 2020 and he played a key role in their run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.

In five seasons with the Hawks, Bogdanovic averaged 15.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 38.4% from deep.

Bogdanovic has been having a down season coming off the Serbian’s run to the bronze medal game at the Olympics last summer.

Both Mann and Hyland have made their marks in the league as shooters. Mann is a career 37% shooter, while Hyland is having a career year from 3. Hyland has made 38.8% of his 3-point shots and potentially has room to develop with the change in environment.

The Hawks acquired Zeller as a part of the deal that sent Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans. Both Zeller and the Hawks agreed that he would not play for the Hawks as they tried to reach a favorable deal for the big man.

Moving on from Zeller allows the Hawks to dip below the luxury tax. But the Hawks still have 16 players under contract, so they need to reduce the roster by one.

The Hawks did not move Clint Capela, who missed several games leading to the deadline. The veteran is on an expiring contract, so the Hawks could waive by buying out the remainder of his deal.