Following being traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Atlanta Hawks for a 2033 second round draft pick at the end of June, Devin Carter has been officially released by the Hawks and will be free to sign with the team of his choice once he clears waivers. The Sacramento Kings are notorious for giving up young players before giving them a chance to develop (see Tyrese Haliburton, Davion Mitchell, Keon Ellis, etc.). It probably doesn’t help that they continue to pay premium prices for players past their primes and then have them play over any young talent, essentially stunting the growth of players in the name of being mediocre and missing the playoffs.
Carter was selected with the 13th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but had shoulder surgery for a torn labrum before ever suiting up for a game. Before Carter was able to play an NBA game (1/3/25), the Kings decided to bring on DeMar Derozan & Zach Levine, two ball-centric guards who need the ball in their hands and a ton of shots in order to be effective. The following off-season their front office brought in another player, exactly like the two they signed the year before…Russell Westbrook. With three veteran all-star guards in their backcourt, the chance for young players to get anything resembling real minutes was pretty much naught through the majority of the season. Instead of embracing a rebuild, Sacramento decided that winning just enough games to get picks at the very end of the lottery was they way to go.
However, once they were out of playoff contention (big surprise), Carter was given some freedom and minutes to see what he could actually do when given a chance. Over the last 12 games of the season, Carter averaged 15.0 points, 3.1 assists, 4.0 assists, and nearly a steal a game in just 22.0 minutes per game. He shot 37.5% from three (on 56 attempts) across those games as well, showing that he does have the ability to have a solid percentage from distance if given consistent minutes.
The Hawks have been making moves like mad over the past two seasons and took a flyer on Carter for the cost of a measly second round pick, so when there roster got too overloaded, he was an easy candidate to be waived considering they didn’t have much of an investment in him and his salary ($5.2M) from being a lottery was higher than some of their other bench guards like Ryan Nembhard ($2.2M). The Hawks also just spent their 8th pick in this year’s past draft on Kingston Fleming…so there’s that.
There have been whispers that the Boston Celtics have some interest in Devin Carter and that would be the perfect fit for him to excel in a potential 2nd unit role playing the Derrick White part.
Come back to New England Devin, you’ll be welcomed with open arms.
The Morning Hangover 