Report: Atlanta Trades Vit Krejci To Portland For Duop Reath, Picks

A Sunday trade between the Hawks and Trail Blazers appears to be the precursor to future trades.

Atlanta is sending sharpshooting guard Vit Krejci to Portland for promising big man Duop Reath, as well as two second-round picks (the Hawks' own 2027 pick and the Knicks' pick in 2030), a story first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.

Krejci is a 6'8" guard averaging 9 points a game while shooting 42.3% from 3-point range this season, but he became a player Atlanta could move on from after acquiring Corey Kispert in the Trae Young trade (so the Hawks got a couple of picks for him). Krejci is on a very team-friendly contract, making $2.3 million this season with a non-guaranteed $2.7 million on the books for next season.

In Atlanta, Reath, who is out for the season following foot surgery, could well be waived to open a roster spot (the Hawks have another big man in N'Faly Dante out for the season due to injury, he is the other candidate to be let go, but Dante is under contract for another season while Reath is a free agent this summer).

In Portland, this seems like a trade that sets up another trade. Not that the Trail Blazers couldn't use Krejci, the Blazers have the worst 3-point shooting percentage in the league (33.4%), and the Czech guard can shoot the rock.

But the Trail Blazers are now up against the luxury tax and they will be looking to reduce payroll. The Blazers have a full 15 roster spots filled, but they want to convert two two-way players — Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko — to regular contracts. Something has to give.

Portland has been mentioned as either a facilitator or long-shot destination in a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. It should be noted that Krejci and Antetokounmpo share the same agent.

Whatever the next move is, we have not seen the last of Portland this trade deadline.