The Atlanta Hawks don’t exactly have a shortage of options to play in their backcourt. After re-signing an impactful trade acquisition in CJ McCollum, the Hawks already had three solid options to start at either PG or SG in Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and McCollum. However, they went with the best player avaliable on their board and selected former Houston Cougars point guard Kingston Flemings with the 8th overall pick.
With three possible starters to pick from and a very intriguing backup, there’s no urgency for the Hawks to add to the guard rotation. That being said, they still made a depth move to add former lottery pick point guard Devin Carter from the Sacramento Kings per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Sacramento Kings are trading guard Devin Carter and a future second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2026
Carter’s career hasn’t gone as expected, but he’s an interesting development project for the Hawks to take on. He was selected in the lottery for a reason and it’d be intriguing to see what type of role he’ll have in Atlanta.
Nevertheless, this move has three immediate consequences for the Hawks.
Devin The Defender
Mar 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter (22) shoots the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) during the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
When the Hawks acquired Dyson Daniels from the New Orleans Pelicans, plenty of people were skeptical that the deal would amount to much for Atlanta because Daniels couldn’t shoot at all. He had clear upside as a perimeter defender and passer, but the lack of shooting from deep severely limited what he was able to provide. Furthermore, he wasn’t always available for the Pelicans due to a variety of injuries.
There are some parallels between that and Carter’s story. He came into the NBA as the 13th overall pick for the Kings in the 2024 NBA Draft, but suffered a torn labrum in a pre-draft workout. That wiped out a significant portion of his rookie season. His sophomore season was better from a health perspective, but there were still lapses. He missed extended periods of time due to an ankle injury and illness. Carter’s only played 74 combined games in the NBA over his two seasons.
When he’s in the game, there’s clearly a difference on defense. He ranks in the 88th percentile for STOP% among guards and he’s quite good at drawing offensive deflections (80th percentile among guards). That speaks volumes to his desire to make a difference on that end. He’s also a surprisingly good defensive rebounder for a 6’2 point guard. His DREB% of 13.9% was in the 96th percentile among all point guards last season and actually dropped from 15.6% as a rookie. For some context, he had a better DREB% than Dyson Daniels, Jalen Williams and Stephon Castle last season. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a better rebounder than those players, but it does speak to how Carter helps teams get extra possessions with his hustle on defense. The Hawks could use more players who do that.
Wallace On The Way Out?
Apr 12, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Keaton Wallace (2) drives past Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
It may not happen this summer, but the Hawks should strongly consider trading Keaton Wallace if they want to keep Devin Carter.
The top three in the backcourt is obvious and there’s little chance anyone outside of those three are going to eclipse Kingston Flemings for minutes given how much of an investment Atlanta’s made into him. After those four, it becomes a competition between Carter and Wallace for the fifth guard spot that gets occasional spot starts.
Right now, Wallace is in restricted free agency. That means the Hawks can sign any offer that he receives during the summer. If he receives a long-term commitment or gets a one-year deal that Atlanta doesn’t want to match. they’re under no pressure to match it. They can match it and trade Wallace down the line, but Carter is owed $5.1 million in 2026-27 and is under contract for the season afterwards. The money suggests that the Hawks are incentivized to give Carter more chances to latch on with them. Wallace does actually offer some floor spacing and posted a reasonable AST% of 22.5% last season. That exceeds Carter by comparison – he has yet to shoot above 30% from deep for an entire season and he had an AST% of 20.9% last season.
Wallace is more suited towards running the offense, but he’s also 27 years old. Carter is three years younger and has more upside on the defensive end. Given that the Hawks have gotten non-shooters to develop into respectable threats from deep, there’s some hope that they’ll be able to fix Carter’s shot and turn him into a productive two-way player.
Hield For Hire
Mar 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Buddy Hield (8) dribbles against Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson (45) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
While it’s unclear if the Hawks will actually trade Keaton Wallace, it seems almost a certainity that they’ll trade Buddy Hield at some point this season. Hield played a total of seven games for the Hawks after being acquired from the Warriors as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade. He gave fans a very random 31-point performance to cheer for against the Heat towards the end of the season, but there’s no reason why a player who has such a limited role for the Hawks is making $9.6 million against their cap sheet in 2026-27.
By acquring Carter, the Hawks are just giving themselves one more player who can fill the gap when they inevitably trade Hield. They could trade Hield at any point in time between now and the trade deadline, but it’s a good idea to stockpile some depth in anticipation of making such a move. They’ve done exactly that by adding Carter. He’s not a flashy addition, but it’s a good bet on development from a player who was on one of the worst teams in the NBA last season and shows hustle on defense in a way that the Hawks could really use.
Grade: B
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