We get our first homecoming of the 2021 NBA trade deadline. Lou Williams has been traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Rajon Rondo, two second-round picks, and cash. The news was broken down by Shams Charania of The Athletic. Amid speculation that the Hawks would go after Williams in free agency, this should help them make the deal this summer. Rondo will find himself back in LA but wearing blue and red instead of purple and yellow.
Clippers are finalizing a deal to acquire Rajon Rondo from Atlanta for Lou Williams, two second-round picks and cash, sources tell me and @sam_amick.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 25, 2021
Shams originally reported that a third team may come into the mix. That did not happen when the deal was all said and done. Rondo could be a good fit on the Clippers. He can still pass the ball at an elite level and has more experience than most of the league. The Clips are currently third in the Western Conference. They sit 4.0 games behind first place and just half a game ahead of the Lakers in fourth.
For Atlanta this move is huge. The Hawks find themselves at 7th in the East currently and just half a game away from fourth place. The middle to lower seeds in the East will be hotly contested. Bringing Lou Will to Atlanta could push them over the hump and get them a top-5 seed. At the very least the Hawks want to be above the play-in tournament threshold.
This season Williams has averaged 12.1 points and 3.4 assists hitting 38% of his three-point shots. The 3x Sixth-Man of the Year will play well alongside Trae Young.
Rondo has played a career-low 14.9 minutes a game which has led to career-lows in almost every statistical category. He is connecting on 38% of threes as well this season.
