A Josh Childress sign-and-trade for not much in return? Wow
Couldn't the Hawks at least trade him for a bunch of shoes? (AJC photo by Andy Sharp)
Esteemed colleague Michael Cunningham reports that the Hawks are close to a sign-and-trade with Phoenix for Josh Childress, who last played for the Hawks in Game 7 against Boston in May 2008. That the Hawks aren’t terribly interested in having the Grecian earner rejoin them should come as no shock.
Back to 2008: Billy Knight, who drafted Childress with the No. 6 pick in June 2004, resigned as general manager after the Boston series. He was replaced by Rick Sund, who knew Childress as a Hawk only from what he’d seen on TV/film, and what Sund saw wasn’t necessarily what we Atlantans had seen.
A lot of us around here believed Childress was a substitute of the first rank — the kind of high-octane reserve every good team needs. (Childress had been stellar against the Celtics, you’ll recall.) Sund saw a guy who couldn’t shoot. He wanted to keep Childress, but not at any price. Thus did a rising NBA team’s sixth man wind up with Olympiakos.
Put simply, Childress saw himself as more important to the Hawks than the new GM did. (So did I, though I give Sund credit for finding Flip Murray and Mo Evans that summer to help offset the loss.) Given that Sund’s still here, the chances of Childress returning to the Hawks have never been good. They’ve regarded him as a bargaining piece if they’ve regarded him at all, and the preliminary details of the sign-and-trade would seem to bear that out.
The Hawks wouldn’t be getting a player in return. They’d be getting, Cunningham reports, a second-round draft choice and a trade exception, which is a salary-cap credit for a future transaction. Which would mean that they got nothing when Childress left for Greece and they wouldn’t be receiving a flesh-and-blood player upon his return. To which I say:
What a waste.
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157 comments Add your comment
wxwax
July 12th, 2010
12:19 pm
I’ll miss his energy. Not sure he would have made much difference to the Hawks’ moribund locker room. When your leading players (JJ, Smoove) have weak attitudes it’s not likely that a mediocre seventh man will change the team’s effort and attitude.
This is a giveaway by the Hawks.
I don’t see how more room under the cap will help a team that’s reluctant to spend money.
Time Out
July 12th, 2010
12:20 pm
Maybe the Atlanta Spirit can overpay him. We pay Joe Johnson KING JAMES type money. Oh man what a bunch of idiots running the Hawks and Thrashers. Oh yeah, D-Wad screwed up again…time for a promotion.
martin
July 12th, 2010
12:25 pm
comparing Chills to Bogut is crazy. Bogut is an allstar center who can dominate games when healthy. Chills is nothing more than a role player who was drafter too high. We did not trade him for nothing. We traded him for is value on the market. He is only worth a 2nd round pick. The Suns will suck next season and most likely miss the playoffs. This means that pick will be a high second round pick and we also gained about $3.4M to spend this off season. That will allow the hawks to offer Shaqfu or Scola a deal. We need size much more than we need another wing player who cannot shot. Jordan Crawford is going to add a scoring threat off the bench, we need size to matchup with Dwight.
HawkKingBibby
July 12th, 2010
12:26 pm
Im pretty ticked. Mostly because the Dutch got hosed yesterday having to play with 10 men decided the World Cup with a minute left in extra time. However Sund and the Hawks getting hosed in this deal after 2 years of waiting just irks me more.
GT Alum
July 12th, 2010
12:27 pm
Time Out, haven’t you ever heard of the Dilbert principle? Promote the incompetent to the place where they can do the least damage.
Jay
July 12th, 2010
12:28 pm
The reason we are trading him for nothing is because we can’t afford to pay him 5 years, 30 million. Why? It’s not because that contract is unreasonable…it is because we signed JJ to worst contract given out this offseason. It is the same terrible JJ contract that most of you (Bradley the homer included) thought was a good move, so I hope you are happy because the crippling of our roster has officially begun.
Reid Adair
July 12th, 2010
12:34 pm
Of course it’s not much in return, Mark. This is ASG we’re talking about. The same ownership that agreed to give Joe Johnson a max contract.
mrH
July 12th, 2010
12:36 pm
You can’t champion the re-signing of Joe and then call this move “a waste.”
Childress was the first victim of Joe’s bloated contract.
Paddy
July 12th, 2010
12:39 pm
mrH….great ponit on the bloated contract of JJ.
Whopper Dawg
July 12th, 2010
12:41 pm
Wonderful. Now sell the pick.
tremaine
July 12th, 2010
12:49 pm
I would rather have J Chill then Joe Johnson anyday. At least his effort was never questioned.
Adam
July 12th, 2010
12:55 pm
Why not trade Mike Bibby for a pack of gum and some of these trade exceptions that we have and will never use.
JEWELL
July 12th, 2010
12:58 pm
MARK, IN LIEU OF THE HEAT ONLY GETTING A 2ND ROUND PICK FOR BEASLEY (NO. 2 PICK IN THE DRAFT) I GUESS WE GOT SOMETHING? MAYBE WE GET A 2ND ROUND PICK THAT CAN PLAY! LAKERS JUST GOT EBANKS AND CHAREKER….
POAD
July 12th, 2010
12:59 pm
It is the NBA! Most of the players are not worth the money paid to them. There is a 17-20yr. old that will take less money and be just as good at playing 1-on-1 with 4 other guys doing the same on the same court. I would rather watch Jordan play Bird in a 1-on-1 game for 500K on pay-per-view(@29.95) than any first round NBA playoff game.
Mr. Phil
July 12th, 2010
1:03 pm
Correction to my 10:09 am post. I (like Mike Woodson before me) keep forgetting about Mo. Evans. The jist remains true. This trade will look brilliant if it helps to land a key piece.
Willy
July 12th, 2010
1:06 pm
Had JJ taken less $ maybe we could’ve kept JC.
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July 12th, 2010
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Notso Fast
July 12th, 2010
1:11 pm
This has happened all too many times with the Hawks, Every team makes mistakes but not near as many as the Hawks. The high draft picks we had have has not given us as many top players as it should have. Have we ever had a foreign player that actually played in Atlanta? Not many
RomeDawg
July 12th, 2010
1:15 pm
Still trying to decide if I care OR if I think Childress is as good as he thinks he is. I don’t want players here who don’t want to be here, so…..good luck in Phoenix. I think Atlanta has a better chance to be relevant than Phoenix, so him not wanting to play here seems….odd.
Gary
July 12th, 2010
1:28 pm
I don’t think any of you are understanding why this move had to be made. Childress was not part of our plans and he wasn’t part of our salary right now either. However, the Hawks had no cap room for him and had to take any deal possible. They couldn’t trade for another player because – again – they are over the cap if they do. What this does is give the Hawks a trade exception which they can then package with another player and make a trade for something of value and not be over the cap. This along with the mid-level exception will allow the hawks to make moves to help the team. Also enough of the misconception that this clears cap space. It doesn’t because Childress was not part of the team and his salary not currently listed on an already capped roster. They cleared no space and will use the exception to trade with a player in order to take on salary that will not put them over the cap.
The Real JC
July 12th, 2010
1:43 pm
@tremaine – it’s a lot easier to show hustle off the bench than playing the most NBA minutes of any player, like Joe did in 2006-07 when Chil was here.
Football Fan
July 12th, 2010
1:46 pm
This deal is absurd.
Football Fan
July 12th, 2010
1:46 pm
Enter your comments here
bill
July 12th, 2010
1:51 pm
Yep, your ASG in action!
The Real JC
July 12th, 2010
1:51 pm
Also, Childress has made it pretty clear that he didn’t want to play in ATL anymore. He wasn’t happy with the role and the $ being offered to him, so he jumped ship for the lucrative Olympiakos contract in the first place.
Najeh Davenpoop
July 12th, 2010
1:59 pm
“Sund saw a guy who couldn’t shoot. He wanted to keep Childress, but not at any price. Thus did a rising NBA team’s sixth man wind up with Olympiakos.”
As far as I know, Sund’s refusal to extend an offer to Childress had little to do with his game and a lot to do with his restricted free agent status. Just like he did with Josh Smith and will probably do next year with Al Horford, Sund allowed the market to dictate the value of Childress, knowing that as a RFA the Hawks had the right to match. What he didn’t anticipate is that Childress would sign with a non-NBA team, where the right to match doesn’t apply. I think if an NBA team had signed him to an offer sheet in the summer of ‘08 the Hawks would have matched.
RI Mike
July 12th, 2010
2:02 pm
Gary,
I don’t think people are stupid to the facts of the case, I think the question remains, what will the front office do with the exemption now that they have it.
Chills was a fun guy to see play and a guy who will make an impact in PHX, but it sounds like he wasn’t coming back here anyway.
The Real JC
July 12th, 2010
2:02 pm
@Notso fast – hey, at least we’re not the Blazers. Primarily what you’re talking about happened under the guidance of Billy Knight, who has been roundly criticized for his player personnel decisions and is no longer with the team.
Of course Marvin Williams at #2 and Shelden Williams at #5 were the worst, but if you look at the 04 draft, while Josh Childress at #6 was before Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala and Al Jefferson, we still managed to get Josh Smith at #17, while teams were drafting guys like Kirk Snyder, Kris Humphries and Robert Swift.
Look at the Blazers from that year – Sebastian Telfair at #13, Viktor Khryapa at #22 and Sergei Monia at #23.
2004Draft
July 12th, 2010
2:19 pm
Chills didn’t live up to what we all expect of a No. 6 pick, but the 2004 draft was so poor that it’s hard to blame the Hawks for selecting him. Even with the gift of hindsight, there are only a few obvious misses as to whom the Hawks passed up:
No. 7 Luol Deng
No. 9 Andre Iguodala
No. 20 Jameer Nelson
No. 26 Kevin Martin
No. 30 Anderson Varejao
The rest of the field was pretty deplorable (save for the Hawks picking Josh Smith at No. 17).
ICEMANcometh10
July 12th, 2010
2:19 pm
This dude (Chills) left for more money to go across the water to average 15 points per. He has not played a game for the Hawks for a while now and if I remember right his last shot DID NOT WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP. When I broke up with my ex I wish I could have done a sign and trade and got something for her cause SHE WAS GOOD TOO. Point is QUIT WHINING AND CRYING over moves that MUST be done no matter how smart they seem to the average dummy who really don’t know much about sports.
notcool
July 12th, 2010
2:20 pm
I Blame JJ.
Big Ray
July 12th, 2010
2:32 pm
We have acquired a second round pick that we’ll sell off (again) and a trade exception that we likely won’t use.
What a wonderful return on a former lottery pick. Sigh
Buddy Grizzard
July 12th, 2010
3:25 pm
Gary:
“Also enough of the misconception that this clears cap space. It doesn’t because Childress was not part of the team and his salary not currently listed on an already capped roster.”
Wrong, the Hawks qualifying offer to Childress counts against the cap.
Mark Bradley's Fan Club
July 12th, 2010
3:45 pm
Wow, that’s pretty disappointing. A second round pick (anyone remember the last time a second round pick became any kind of impact player?) and some kind of obscure cap relief for a trade? That’s basically nothing.
Back in 2007-08, Childress was one of 3 players on the team who showed consistent, hard and good play (the other 2 being JJ and Bibby, once he got here). I remember thinking how great it was that at least one of our young guys showed he’s figured it out.
And now he’s gone. Sad.
The Truth
July 12th, 2010
3:48 pm
Good heavens people. Josh Childress is NOT John Havlicek. The Hawks won 53 games last year without the Fro. I think we can get along without him just fine. Plus, it seems to me that Chills doesnt want to be here anyway. Good luck in Phoenix. Mr. Sund it seems got something for nothing rather than the other way around.
Buddy Grizzard
July 12th, 2010
3:56 pm
http://www.clipsnation.com/2010/7/12/1565811/josh-childress-for-less-than-the
John Brown
July 12th, 2010
4:01 pm
The point is Childress does not shoot jump shots well. Josh Smith was over 50% from the field too. Does that mean he’s a good shooter? Most of Chills shots made were put-back layups. Some of you fans don’t realize how key that trade exception will be at the trade deadline. I like this way better than the Mo Williams rumor. That guy is garbage. And yea, he’s a shoot first point guard, and we already have 2 point guards.
Bama
July 12th, 2010
5:55 pm
Atlanta gave up one of the best defender of the pg,sg sf, in the league. He’s quick smart and a leader who thinks without the ball and help defend better than anyone in the league. Great all around player. We should have gotten a first round pick. Marvin Williams was the man to let go.
TheWyzyrd
July 12th, 2010
6:02 pm
Mark, You truly are THE Man! You always have been. Even the Walrus thought you were the Man!
ICECOLD
July 12th, 2010
7:40 pm
first !!!
ICECOLD
July 12th, 2010
7:55 pm
lol… guess im too late.. but any way.. the only moves i see that sund did wrong that didnt help the team is………………
oh wait..
1 he got flip murray and mo evens for basically free…
2 he got rid of some players that was real suspect and made our bench actually able to compete.
3 he traded speedy claxton and acie law for jamal crawford, who turned into the 6 man of the year, another nothing for something!!!!
4 he got us joe smith and the sloppy big for basically pocket change
5 he got rid of mike woodson ( thank you lord )
6 he signed a coach that wants to actually move the ball and have a motion offense
7 he brought back the only free agent that was worth getting or that we could possibly get… ( joe johnson ) because if we would have lost him people would have been saying, sunds cant do anything write.. ( just like now )
8 we still have a core group of guys that is actually a great core
10 now he has traded dead weight again for a trade exception and a second round pick who we might can trade for cash again next year to help sign al horford..
seems to me like he is doin a heck of a job so far!!!! guess yall are venting instead of trully counting the blessings …
and while all these teams are shedding their whole rosters and rebuilding, and getting nothing in return, we complain that sunds is making small moves and steps to keep the team together who did in-fact win 53 games.. and our only real problem was orlando magics.. dwight howard who is every team in the entire world problem also..
nobody can guard him.. lebron destroyed us, i dont see nobody screaming we need one player that can stop him..
BECAUSE THEIR ISNT ONE .. just like their isnt one to stop dwight howard… our problem was we tried to double team him, and while we was doing that.. they destroyed us by three point shooting all day, which then opened up for dwight howard.. AND THAT WAS A COACHING MISTAKE
that is why mike woodson is gone…
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK SUNDS, because of u.. we actually can compete for a ring maybe this year coming up!!!
Simpdawg
July 12th, 2010
8:00 pm
Bama,
I agree with you 100%. I said all last summer if the Hawks resign Marvin and let Josh Childress go, that it would be a mistake. Josh Childress was the Hawks best perimeter defender and he could dominate a game without the ball. I’m really starting to hate this franchise. If the Hawks sign Shaq when Kwame Brown, Brad Miller, Anthony Tolliver and Kurt Thomas are available I’m through with this team. Tyson Chandler will be traded to Toronto.
Jake
July 12th, 2010
8:10 pm
We get trade exception to you know!
St. Bernard
July 12th, 2010
9:23 pm
Is Tyson Chandler a legitimate option?
Mike Woodson
July 13th, 2010
12:06 am
Everyone keeps saying the Hawks had to get Joe Johnson back or we wouldn’t make it back to the playoffs. Joe Johnson avg. 7pts a game through the playoffs this past yr. Even if the Hawks do make it to the playoffs we don’t have any answer for Dwight Howard,Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis nor can we compete with Boston or Miami. Who’s gonna guard D.Wade, L. James, Chris Bosh…Paul Pierce, Ray Allen..The Hawks don’t have a playoff built team. Ok even if the Hawks do make to the NBA they are not going to beat the Lakers…Who’s gonna guard Gasol, Bynum, Kobe, L.Odom. The hawks are not going to win a NBA championship with players like Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Mike Bibby.
flexgrip
July 13th, 2010
12:32 am
hawks management is shotout for sure they are not gonna do anything but look like idiots , im sick of it
Justin
July 13th, 2010
1:06 am
This just looks like a terrible trade to me. We kept his rights for 2 years for this…what an absolute waste. If we hadn’t overpaid for JJ….never mind.
John
July 13th, 2010
9:21 am
@ICECOLD….can you do the blogs for AJC from now on? Much better than what MB posted. Most people don’t realize, or are ignorant to the fact, that Sund has done a very good job since arriving. Yet Atlanta fans being the way they are, just like to moan, whine and complain. Pathetic.
Hoops
July 13th, 2010
10:57 am
Mark,
It is too early to judge the Childress deal. Let’s wait and see what player that Sund is able to get as a result of the Childress trade. I believe it will turn out good for the Hawks!
Hawk_Freak
July 13th, 2010
1:00 pm
Scary to think that our GM makes decisions based on what he sees on video or film. Maybe he should have consulted a scout, or even taken a trip to greece. I had hopes that we’d keep Childress.