Kirk Hinrich returns to Hawks for second round pick
By John Buhler
Kirk Hinrich has reportedly been traded from the Chicago Bulls to the Atlanta Hawks for a second round draft pick. Hinrich played in Atlanta from 2010-12.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Atlanta Hawks have traded for veteran guard Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls, sending a second round draft pick Chicago’s way.
Kirk Hinrich has been traded to Hawks for a second round pick sources say
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) February 18, 2016
Hinrich is a 13-year NBA veteran and has spent the last four seasons playing for the Chicago Bulls. He has spent the majority of his NBA career in Chicago in parts of 11 seasons over two stints. Kirk Hinrich played for the Atlanta Hawks during the Larry Drew era in Atlanta, totaling 72 games played for the Hawks over two seasons from 2011 to 2012.
Earlier Thursday afternoon, the Atlanta Hawks traded backup point guard Shelvin Mack to the Utah Jazz for a future second round pick, one supposedly coming from Utah via Denver in 2018. Perhaps it was head coach Mike Budenholzer’s decision to replace Mack with a strong defensive minded wing player in Kirk Hinrich, a career 105 defensive rating.
More from Atlanta Hawks
- Atlanta Hawks Sweep Back-to-Back Games Over Weekend
- Atlanta Hawks Look to Continue Momentum Tonight Against Portland
- Joel Embiid Leads Sixers Over Hawks On Monday Night
- Atlanta Hawks: John Collins Playing His Best Basketball Of Season
- Atlanta Hawks Win Second Straight Against the Dallas Mavericks
In 35 games played for Fred Hoiberg‘s 2015-16 Chicago Bulls, Kirk Hinrich has averaged 3.8 points per game, 1.7 rebounds per game, and 1.7 assists per game. The 35-year-old former Kansas Jayhawk had been a bigger rotational piece than Shelvin Mack was for Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta. Mack only played in 24 games for the Atlanta Hawks this season with zero starts.
One has to wonder though if Kirk Hinrich is an upgrade over Shelvin Mack, as the Atlanta Hawks enter the second half of the NBA season. Hinrich does fill the void made on the 15-man roster by sending Mack to the Jazz, but is he more of a threat to crack Budenholzer’s bench rotation than Mack?
It seems that Utah was in desperate need for a point guard to contend for the Western Conference Playoffs and reached an agreement with a familiar Eastern Conference trade partner in the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta was already very deep at point guard so Mack wasn’t able to get adequate minutes that he probably deserved.
Next: Shelvin Mack traded to Utah Jazz for second round pick
By bringing in Kirk Hinrich, he does give the Atlanta Hawks more range defensively for Budenholzer to use out on the perimeter. Atlanta is already a top five defensive team in 2015-16 and may actually be positioning itself for more wing depth with the late NBA trade deadline acquisition of the Chicago Bulls’ Kirk Hinrich. Welcome back to Atlanta, Kirk! Let’s Go Hawks!