NBA Rumors: Rockets Trade for AJ Griffin; 2024 No. 44 Draft Pick to Hawks

Ahead of day two of the 2024 NBA draft, the Atlanta Hawks traded former first-round pick AJ Griffin to the Houston Rockets.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hawks will receive the No. 44 overall pick in the second round of the draft from the Rockets for Griffin.

This is an excellent buy-low move for the Rockets. Griffin was a top-20 pick two years ago and will only turn 21 years old on Aug. 25.

For perspective, Griffin is younger than 2024 lottery picks Zach Edey and Devin Carter. He had a promising rookie season with 8.9 points per game on 46.5 percent field-goal shooting (39.0 percent from three) in 72 appearances for the Hawks.

Injuries limited Griffin to just 20 games with the Hawks last season. He also played six games with the College Park Skyhawks in the G League.

There’s not a path to immediate playing time for Griffin in Houston. He will open the 2024-25 season behind Dillon Brooks, Cam Whitmore and Jae’sean Tate on the depth chart.

Houston could have Griffin open the season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League to get him regular playing time.

It’s a bit surprising to see the Hawks, who could enter a rebuild if Trae Young and Dejounte Murray get traded this summer, move on from a talented young player who showed he can play during his rookie season.

But this is an opportunity for Griffin to get a fresh start with a new organization. The second-round pick traded by the Rockets was their only selection in the 2024 draft. Their first-rounder (No. 12 overall) went to the Oklahoma City Thunder stemming from the Chris Paul trade in 2019.

The No. 44 pick is currently Atlanta’s only selection in the second round. The Hawks added Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick on Wednesday.