ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks moved back into the NBA draft on Thursday by trading forward AJ Griffin to the Houston Rockets for the No. 44 pick before trading that pick to Miami to obtain rights to guard/forward Nikola Djurisic of Serbia.
Miami acquired the draft rights to Pelle Larsson, the No. 44 pick, from Houston and obtained cash considerations from Atlanta, the Hawks announced Thursday night.
The 6-foot-7 Djurisic averaged 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 30 games with Mega (Serbia).
The Hawks made French teen Zaccharie Risacher the No. 1 overall pick in the draft Wednesday night. It was Atlanta’s only pick in the draft before Thursday’s trade.
The trade of Griffin, a 2022 first-round pick, helps to clear playing time for Risacher, a wing.
Griffin was limited by injuries, including an ankle sprain, to 20 games this season. He averaged 8.9 points and 2.2 rebounds while playing in 72 games, including 12 starts, as a rookie in the 2022-23 season.
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