New Orleans Pelicans: Trading RFAs with the Atlanta Hawks

Acquiring Frank Jackson from the New Orleans Pelicans helps the Atlanta Hawks fill out their depth at point guard

Why the Atlanta Hawks make this deal

There are two main reasons why the Atlanta Hawks make this deal, and we’ll start with DeAndre Bembry first.

DeAndre Bembry is a nice player, but he’s a holdover from the Mike Budenholzer era whose game doesn’t fit with what the Hawks want to do going forward. Bembry’s game is built on using his athleticism to score at the rim, while playing solid defense, and sometimes distributing the basketball. The Hawks, meanwhile, want to shoot it from deep as much as possible and having Bembry in a line-up big men John Collins and Clint Capela doesn’t let them do that.

Then consider that Bembry playing primarily on the wings has caused him to slip on the depth chart because of the Hawks young forwards DeAndre Hunter, and Cam Reddish. It’s cut and dry that the Hawks would love to get something from Bembry rather than just letting him walk to clear the depth chart.

Of course, the other reason the Hawks make this deal is Frank Jackson. We recently detailed how Jackson improved in the NBA bubble, and the Atlanta Hawks might have seen that improvement as an opportunity to bring in a solid back-up point guard at a low price.

With the Hawks in a similar situation to the Pelicans, hoping to fill multiple roster holes to contend next season, Frank Jackson would be an excellent option for them behind superstar Trae Young. Now time to see why the Pelicans make this move.