The Utah Jazz had been adamant about upgrading their point guard position at the National Basketball Association trade deadline.
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Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich will go to the Hawks, Atlanta’s Shelvin Mack will go to the Jazz and Justin Holiday and a second round pick will go to the Bulls. During his first two seasons at Butler, Mack teamed with current Jazzman Gordon Hayward, as the pair led Butler to the school’s first ever Final Four and an appearance in the 2010 title game.
Mack spent three-plus seasons with the Hawks primarily as a reserve point guard. Weakness in the backcourt has been an issue, as evident from the fact that Hayward’s 3.7 assists per game lead the team, and Mack could help provide stability with his energetic skill set at the point. The Detroit Pistons have landed Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton from the Houston Rockets which gives them the deal of the day so far, and now the Hawks have kept things going by sending Shelvin Mack to the Jazz.
Utah, sitting at 26-26 in the Western Conference, has a shot at making the playoffs if they can pull it all together this second half of the season, post-All Star Break.
Atlanta Hawks guard Shelvin Mack (8) dribbles the ball as Brooklyn Nets guard Shane Larkin (0) defends during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center.
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The Jazz have been involved in National Basketball Association trade rumors due to their need of a point guard for a while.
