2024 NBA Trade Rumors: Grading the AJ Griffin Trade Between Atlanta and Houston

The Hawks traded the third-year forward to the Houston Rockets for the No. 44 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, which ended up being Nikola Djurisic

Apr 14, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward AJ Griffin (14) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Doug McDermott (20) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

After a rough sophomore season, the Atlanta Hawks decided to move on from third-year forward AJ Griffin and sent him to the Houston Rockets in exchange for the No. 44 pick in the NBA Draft. That pick turned into forward Nikola Djurisic.

Griffin had a solid rookie season with the Hawks in 2022-2023, averaging 8.9 PPG and shooting 39% from three in 72 games. Last season, he played in 20 games, averaging 2.4 PPG and shooting only 25% from three. Griffin took time away from the team for a personal absence in December. He never really found his rhythym during the season last year and part of that can likely be attributed to his minutes. Being inserted into the lineup for 5-10 minutes at a time and then sitting for several games afterwards is not conducive towards developing young players.

However, he did not play very well in the minutes he was given. After starting out the season well, he only played seven games in November and then stepped away in December for personal reasons. The three-point range he showed from his rookie season did not carry over into his sophomore campaign as he forced shots and struggled with effieciency in his appearances. In February, he was assigned to the G League and looked closer to the player he was in his rookie season. Some of that is to be expected, but he took to coming off the bench with the College Park Skyhawks and averaged 14.2 points per game on 43.2% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. He also recorded 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in his six appearances with College Park. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury that cut his season short.

Griffin is still a talented player who has a legitimate three-point shot. Sending him down to the G League should have happened earlier because he was not able to contribute in his time with the 18-man roster. I do think he needs to grow on the defensive end, but he showed signs of growth with College Park and likely would have continued to progress with more time. I somewhat understand why he was traded since he fell out of Snyder's rotation, but he could have used more time in the G League to re-gain some of the form he showed in 2022-23.

There is always a chance that the Hawks could stash Durisic, but that is not known at this time.

Durisic is a strong, creative player with the ball in his hands, but he is going to have to develop his off ball game to have a role in the league. If Atlanta does keep him, I think he is likely to see minutes in the G-League. Atlanta has done a great job of developing guys in College Park so this could be an ideal spot for Durisic.

Durisic was the No. 37 player on Sam Vecenie's big board at The Athletic. Here is what Vecenie said were his strengths coming into the draft:

STRENGTHS: Djurišić is big for a creative wing scorer: 6-7 without shoes with a 6-8 wingspan and an 8-6 1/2 standing reach. He has some bounce and lift and a degree of shiftiness. His 10.63 lane agility time was among the best at the combine, especially at his size. He also has strength he can access as he powers to the rim. Creativity is key within his game. Djurišić is very sharp in the way that he attacks defenders, and there is suddenness to his movements. He’s constantly aggressive and probing, trying to make things happen. He wants to push the pace and the tempo of the game forward with speed and craft. He’s confident. He thinks he’s the best player every single time he takes the court.

Investing in Djurišić is investing in the idea that he can be a big wing creator long-term. Djurišić is very crafty off the bounce in the way he attacks the game. He tries to put pressure on you. That works best out of ball screens right now. He loves to attack and try to get downhill and is also creative in trying to find creases. He knows how to split ball screens and is also good at stringing out the big when he can to try to find a mismatch. He’ll patiently wait for the first-level defenders to make their move, then try to attack them with suddenness. He can beat bigs off the bounce in isolation. In that vein, he is a three-level threat. He’s willing to stop and pop from behind the 3-point line, pull up from the midrange, or try to drive all the way to the rim. There’s an unpredictable cadence in terms of the way that he attacks that makes him slithery and difficult to stay in front of. There’s some upside in terms of being a second-side creator.

A bet on Djurišić is also a bet on his passing ability. Djurišić clearly has some real vision in this regard. He’s good at drawing defenders toward him and then finding angles to get kickouts or drop-off passes to players in the dunker spot. I think he’s better when he makes quicker decisions and moves it along faster. Again, his creativity shines through here at times. He throws some fun wrap-around and live-dribble, one-handed passes, and he can do it at speed. At Mega this season, he averaged nearly four assists per game.

Djurišić also improved significantly as a finisher this season. He made 58.2 percent of his attempts at the rim in half-court settings, per Synergy, a strong number considering many were self-created in the second half of the season. His unpredictability aids him in generating paint touches. He also does a good job of converting that creativity into power; he leaps well of one foot to catch defenders before they’ve fully established their positioning. He doesn’t sky, but he can finish above the rim through traffic. He had 25 dunks this year, including 15 in half-court settings. I liked the way he gathered the ball when finishing this year. He had a few spin moves to get separation, as well as some difficult Euro steps around players in traffic. He showed improvement as an off-ball mover and cutter this season, putting himself in more dangerous positions off screens or in early offense.

Djurišić has clean mechanics in his upper half that make you believe he’ll be a shooter at some point. He has confidence every single time he pulls up. As mentioned above, he is a legit three-level threat — very good ball pickup and clean balance getting into the pull-up. He has a chance to be an on-ball scorer. Beyond that, he’s also a solid driver all the way to the rim. Given how many of his shots are at the basket, his 53.5 percentage mark at the rim is OK for a teenager at this level when he’s getting there about three times per game. It’s easy to imagine Djurišić as a fun dribble-pass-shoot weapon at nearly 6-8 in shoes. He draws contact and fouls. Djurišić is an active defender. He wants to play hard and try to disrupt things. The size, strength and athleticism are there to potentially make it work on that end."

Grade: C-

I don't love this trade for the Hawks and think they gave up on Griffin a little too quick, but he had obviously fallen out of the rotation and was not going to be a factor moving forward. Hopefully he can find a way to find his shot again and improve as a defender to have a chance at playing time in Houston. The Rockets are a loaded team and it will be tough to crack their rotation.

If Durisic turns out to be a good steal in the second round, this trade could turn out to be fine for Atlanta. If not and Griffin goes on to be a solid player somewhere, many will wonder if Atlanta moved him too soon. This all depends on how both players perform in their new destinations.