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Atlanta Hawks Land Delon Wright in Three-Team Deal with Boston Celtics and Sacramento Kings

On August 7th, 2021, as part of a three-team trade, the Sacramento Kings traded guard Delon Wright to the Atlanta Hawks; the Hawks traded guard Kris Dunn, center Bruno Fernando and a 2023 second round draft pick (Julian Phillips) to the Boston Celtics; and the Celtics traded center-forward Tristan Thompson to the Kings. Boston also received a trade exception.

After nine years and a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise, former lottery pick Tristan Thompson hit free agency. He joined the Boston Celtics on a two-year, $19 million deal for the full midlevel exception.

After losing Gordon Hayward in free agency, there were questions about how Boston would look after a Conference Finals appearance in the NBA Bubble in 2020.

All of this happened in an abbreviated period where the NBA season ended in the Bubble in August. Free agency and the draft happened in November and a truncated 72-game season started in late December.

Boston got off to a solid 8-3 start during the 2020-21 season but amid the weird season, Boston was consistently inconsistent. The team hovered around .500 for much of the season.

With the team at 21-23 at the March trade deadline, Boston tried to add a spark to the roster, dealing for Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier while trading away center Daniel Theis to the Chicago Bulls in a separate trade. Fournier missed time after the trade because he contracted the COVID-19 virus.

With the team at 34-31, it lost star Jaylen Brown for the rest of the season to a torn ligament in his left wrist. Boston went 2-5 over the final seven games to finish 36-36.

Much like the Celtics, Thompson's role was also inconsistent. He began the season as a starter in a double big lineup with Theis, but came off the bench at times too. Thompson missed 13 consecutive games due to health and safety protocols which were connected to the COVID-19 virus.

Overall, Thompson appeared in 54 games (43 starts) and amassed 7.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.2 APG and 0.6 BPG in 23.8 MPG. Boston had the seventh best record in the East and qualified for the play-in tournament. As seventh seed, the Celtics had to win just one game to take the seventh spot. Boston faced the Washington Wizards in the play-in. Tatum had 50 points and Kemba Walker added 29 in an easy 118-100 Boston win. Thompson chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds in the game.

After defeating Washington, Boston entered a playoff matchup with the second seed Brooklyn Nets and its vaunted trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. The Celtics meanwhile were relying on Tatum with Brown absent.

In the series opener, Durant had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and Irving put up 29 points as Brooklyn outscored Boston 57-40 in the second half to win 104-93. The second game was a laugher as Brooklyn led by as much as 33 points in a 130-108 rout.

Tatum was dominant in the third game, scoring 50 points in Boston. Marcus Smart added 23 points as the Celtics held on for a 125-119 victory. However, Boston would lose key players Walker and Robert Williams for the rest of the series to a left knee bone bruise and ankle injury respectively. Added to Brown who was out for the rest of the season, Boston was severely shorthanded.

Tatum (40 points) was great once again in Game Four, but Brooklyn's trio of Durant, Irving and Harden combined for 104 points as the Nets comfortably won 141-126. Brooklyn led for much of the fifth game, and never relinquished the lead in the second half, winning 123-108 and eliminating Boston.

Thompson was productive in the first round loss, managing 10.4 PPG on 58.8% shooting, 9.8 RPG and 1.2 BPG in 26.4 MPG. This included a 19-point, 13-rebound performance in Boston's lone win in Game Three.

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After Boston's early exit, it was back to the drawing board. Thompson was a casualty as Boston looked to create wiggle room below the luxury tax by dealing Thompson's contract after just one season with the team.

Delon Wright is a master of none, but solid at several categories. That very fact is the reason that Wright has played for several teams over a relatively short period of time.

During his sixth year in the NBA, Wright was traded at midseason by the Detroit Pistons to the Sacramento Kings for Cory Joseph and two second round picks. It marked the third time Wright was traded in less than two years.

Wright joined the Kings and was a quality third guard capable of manning both backcourt positions behind starters De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. The guard appeared in 27 games (eight starts) with the Kings, putting up 10.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.6 SPG in 25.8 MPG. Wright started the final eight games of the season, averaging 14.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG and 2.4 SPG in 34.1 MPG.

When Sacramento acquired Wright, the team was in 10th place in the West and had a chance at qualifying for the play-in tournament. After a five-game winning streak placed the Kings at 22-25, the team had a nine-game losing streak that dropped it to 12th place. The stretch killed Sacramento's hopes at the play-in and the Kings finished outside of the playoff picture with a 31-41 record.

After drafting guard Davion Mitchell in the first round of the 2021 draft, the Kings created a logjam in the backcourt. The team wouldn't necessarily need Wright and could focus on improving a weak rebounding roster.

Bruno Fernando joined the Atlanta Hawks after he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers 34th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft from the University of Maryland and was traded for the 57th pick in 2019 Jordan Bone and two additional second rounders in 2020 and 2023.

Fernando joined the Hawks Summer League team in 2019 and struggled in three games, compiling 4.3 PPG on 31.3% shooting and 3.7 RPG in 26.8 MPG.

The Hawks began the 2019-20 season 2-0 and that would be the team's high water mark. Atlanta went 2-16 over the next 18 games to quickly fall out of the playoff picture. With the team a miserable 8-32 over the first 40 games, Atlanta began to play better. Youthful pieces such as Trae Young, John Collins, Kevin Huerter and rookie Cam Reddish played better and the Hawks went 12-15 over the next 27 games to reach 20-47.

However, the NBA season shut down in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the NBA season returned with a Bubble format in August, the Hawks did not qualify ending their season. In his rookie year, Fernando played in 56 games (13 starts) and registered 4.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 0.9 APG in 12.7 MPG.

In the 2020 offseason, the Hawks signed guard Kris Dunn to a two-year, $10 million deal. Dunn was expected to be a backup point guard with the ability to slide over to the two because of his defensive ability.

Atlanta began the 2020-21 season 4-1, but struggled, falling to 14-20. At that point, Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce was fired and replaced by assistant coach Nate McMillan on an interim basis.

Soon after the coaching change, Atlanta became one of the better teams in the NBA, going on a 27-11 run. The Hawks rose to fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-31 record during the '20-'21 season.

Dunn missed most of the season due to arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle and what he defined as a see-saw issue between his ankle and right knee. He returned late in the year without a defined place in the rotation and played in four games, managing 1.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.5 SPG and 0.5 BPG in 11.3 MPG. Fernando appeared in 33 games during his sophomore season, posting 1.5 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 6.8 MPG.

Atlanta matched up with the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta took the first game 107-105 after Trae Young made a clutch shot with less than a second remaining. New York evened the series with a 101-92 win.

The Hawks took the third and fourth games at home by double digits and closed out the series in New York with a 103-89 victory.

After the first round win, the Hawks faced** **the first seed Philadelphia 76ers in the East Semifinals. In the first game, Atlanta stole homecourt with a 128-124 road win. The Sixers responded by winning the next two games by 16 points each to take a 2-1 series advantage.

In the fourth game, Atlanta won 103-100 to tie the series 2-2. The Hawks took Game Five 109-106 on the road with Young contributing 39 points. In Game Six, Seth Curry and Tobias Harris combined for 48 points to help the Sixers win 104-99.

Hawks guard Kevin Huerter put up 27 points in Game Seven and Atlanta pulled away late to win 103-96 and win the series 4-3.

In the Conference Finals, Young had 48 points and 11 assists to help Atlanta take the first game 116-113. The Bucks won Games Two and Three by double digits. In the third game, Young suffered a bone bruise in his right foot after stepping on the foot of a referee.

Even with Young out, Atlanta won Game Four 110-88. Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a serious knee injury in the contest that would keep him out for the rest of the series. The Bucks won Game Five 123-112 and Game Six 118-107 despite Young returning in that contest. Milwaukee won the series 4-2.

During the postseason, Fernando played just 11 minutes and 40 seconds, scoring six points. Dunn appeared in five playoff games, averaging 1.2 PPG in 6.6 MPG.

After the trade, Dunn was shipped with Carsen Edwards and the right to swap 2026 second round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for Juancho Hernangómez in September.

Fernando stayed on the Celtics roster. First, the big man joined Boston for Summer League where he put up 9.3 PPG on 75% from the field and 5.3 RPG in four contests.

He played in 20 games with Boston, amassing 1.0 PPG and 0.8 RPG in 2.9 MPG. He also played four games with Boston's G-League team, the Maine Celtics, averaging 13.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 4.0 APG in 23.3 MPG.

At the trade deadline, Fernando was traded with Enes Freedom and Dennis Schroder to the Houston Rockets for Daniel Theis.

The second round pick Atlanta sent to the Celtics was originally owned by the Portland Trail Blazers. The pick had been exchanged over a series of trades before Boston selected University of Tennessee forward Julian Phillips with the 35th pick of the draft.

After selecting Phillips, the Celtics moved him in a draft night deal to the Washington Wizards in a three-team deal that involved the Memphis Grizzlies and was centered around Kristaps Porzingis. Five days after, the Wizards sent Phillips' draft rights to the Chicago Bulls for two second round picks.

Delon Wright joined the Hawks as a backup guard to Trae Young. Atlanta had expectations to be one of the top teams in the East after its Eastern Conference Finals appearance the previous season. The Hawks began the year 4-3 but endured through bouts of inconsistent play.

Atlanta dropped six games in a row to fall to 4-9 before a seven-game winning streak brought the club to 11-9. Then a 6-16 stretch made the Hawks just 17-25 and in 12th place. Atlanta quickly got back into the playoff picture with a seven-game winning streak.

Over the final 40 games, the Hawks went 26-14 to finish the regular season at 43-39. The record placed the team ninth in the East, qualifying for the play-in game.

In his seventh NBA season, Wright appeared in 77 games (eight starts) and managed 4.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.2 SPG in 18.9 MPG. Wright lost his spot in the rotation at times as coach Nate McMillan opted to go with veteran scorer Lou Williams who provided more offensive pop than the defensively-inclined Wright.

The guard wasn't aggressive on the offensive end, attempting the least amount of shots per 36 minutes in his career (6.7 FGA per 36 mins). But Wright's defensive impact was significant. Atlanta allowed just 108.8 points per 100 possessions when Wright was on the floor, the lowest figure of any Hawks rotation player per NBA Stats. Wright also had the highest steal rate on the team (3.1%) according to Basketball Reference.

As the ninth seed, the Hawks had to win two play-in games to qualify for the playoffs. In the first game, Atlanta hosted the 10th seed Charlotte Hornets. Young had 24 points and 11 assists as Atlanta cruised to an easy 132-103 rout. The Hawks advanced to the second play-in matchup where they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers for the eighth spot.

Cleveland jumped out to an early 14-point lead mainly thanks to six threes in the first quarter. However, Young was able to dominate on offense. The diminutive guard had 38 points and nine assists as Atlanta outscored Cleveland 56-40 in the second half to win 107-101.

The win put the Hawks in the playoffs for the second consecutive season. As the eighth seed, Atlanta faced the first seed Miami Heat.

In the first game of the first round matchup, Miami led by 20 points in the first half and never looked back in a 115-91 rout. The second game saw Miami build another double digit lead. However, the Hawks battled back and cut the deficit to three points on two occasions late in the fourth quarter.

Jimmy Butler (45 points) scored seven points unanswered to help the Heat pull away late and win 115-105. In Atlanta, the Hawks took a double digit lead in the first half of Game Three. Miami looked to take full control of the series after a 21-0 run in the third quarter gave them an 84-68 advantage. Atlanta fought back and made the game close.

After a P.J. Tucker three-pointer with 54 seconds left gave Miami a 110-109 lead, Trae Young made a shot with five seconds left to give the Hawks a 111-110 lead. Butler missed a three at the buzzer, giving the Hawks the win.

The Heat took a 3-1 series lead after Butler led all players with 36 points and Miami won 110-86. In Game Five, the Heat looked ready to close the series out, pulling ahead 67-52 in the third quarter. The Hawks made the game close, getting within three points with 56 seconds left.

With chances to tie, Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari missed a jumper with eight seconds left and the Hawks were unable to get a shot off after securing an offensive rebound. Miami won the game 97-94 and eliminated the Hawks.

Wright's defense and penchant for knocking down shots at an efficient rate gave him a boost in playing time during the first round. The guard played in all five games, producing 8.2 PPG on 51.7% shooting from the field, 4.8 RPG and 2.8 SPG in 27.4 MPG. Also, the team performed best with him on the floor. In the 137 minutes Wright played in the series, the Hawks outscored Miami by 7.9 points per 100 possessions according to NBA Stats, the best rate of any player in the Atlanta rotation.

Wright became a free agent after the season and signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Washington Wizards.

Tristan Thompson joined the Kings as a veteran sage for a young roster in need of rebounding and physicality in the paint. Thompson was primarily a reserve.

The Kings began the 2021-22 season at 5-4 before dropping eight of the team's next nine games. In that stretch, head coach Luke Walton was fired and replaced by assistant Alvin Gentry. During those crucial times, Thompson made headlines before Walton's departure about how he doesn't need a coach to inspire him.

“No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire him. Point-blank, you can put that in all capitals. Me personally, no one should ever need a coach to inspire you. If you don’t get inspired in the game, then you shouldn’t be on the court.”

The big man played in 30 games (three starts) and compiled 6.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 0.6 APG in 15.2 MPG before he was included in a six-player trade that saw Tyrese Haliburton go from Sacramento to the Indiana Pacers for center Domantas Sabonis.

Tristan Thompson on his excitement with joining a young Sacramento Kings roster (via The Sacramento Bee):

"I'm excited to be here. This team has a lot of very talented young players and I've been on the other side when me, Kyrie [Irving] and Dion [Waiters] were in Cleveland and LeBron [James] came back. LeBron brought the energy and kind of brought that hard-work mentality each and every day, and I think it's only right to take what I've learned from him and pass it on to the younger generation and our stars that are coming in this league.

"That's how you keep this league growing and that's how you keep the talent at a high level. Vets that learn great things from others and don't want to pass it on, you're doing a disservice to our league. It's a brotherhood and a fraternity, so it's my job to pay it forward and then when D. Fox and Tyrese and Davion get to my age, they pass it on to the next (generation) and that’s how you keep the league at a high level."

On what he brings to the table for Sacramento:

"I'm just going to come in and do whatever it takes to win. I think everyone knows what my strengths are and what I can bring to the table and how I can impact and change a game. What I've done in my career is impact winning basketball, so I think everyone knows that."

On how he asked former King and fellow Canadian Cory Joseph about Sacramento after the trade:

"As soon as the trade happened, I called Cory. He told me the staff here is great and the fellas that are here, they want to learn, they're great listeners. And Cory's been at a high level in his playing career, winning a championship and being on multiple playoff teams and being competitive.

"He said, 'Double T, just be yourself and go in there and teach the young fellas. Go in there and be yourself,' and that’s just working hard every day, punching the clock, putting my hard hat on, and leading by example, but also with your voice and knowledge."

Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk on acquiring Delon Wright (via Hawks.com):

"One of our priorities entering the offseason was to solidify the backup point guard spot. Delon is a consistent two-way guard who has been a part of several successful teams. We think he’s a great fit here. I'd also like to thank Bruno and Kris for their contributions to the Hawks, and I want to wish them well as they continue their careers."

Image Credit:

Delon Wright: Getty Images/Maddie Malhotra

Tristan Thompson: Getty Images/Lachlan Cunningham

Bruno Fernando: Getty Images/David Dow

#Delon Wright #Tristan Thompson #bruno fernando #Kris Dunn #Hawks #Kings #Celtics #Julian Phillips #2021*22 Season #2021

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