The Atlanta Hawks mostly got financial flexibility for trading John Collins to the Utah Jazz.
Not only do they drop below the first luxury tax apron after facing an $8-plus million bill – they have never paid the luxury tax under team governor Tony Ressler – but they also generated a $25.3 million trade exception by absorbing Rudy Gay’s contract into a previous exception.
This is the third trade exception generated since February. The Brooklyn Nets generated an $18.1 million exception by trading Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns while the Dallas Mavericks generated a $17 million exception by sending Davis Bertans to the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2023 NBA Draft.