Thu, Feb 23, 2017 at 5:02pm

HAWKS SEND FORWARD SCOTT TO SUNS

The Phoenix Suns acquired combo forward Mike Scott, the rights to guard Cenk Akyol, and cash from the Atlanta Hawks for a top-55-protected 2nd-round draft pick in 2017.

What does it give the Phoenix Suns
Nice pickup here by the Suns. Scott effectively replaces P.J. Tucker, who was dealt to the Raptors on this deadline day. The talented Scott needed a change of scenery, and he should have a much better chance at playing time with a young Phoenix squad than he did with the more veteran-laden Atlanta. He's also a better scorer than Tucker. The cash helps pay some salary, but it's unclear if Akyol will ever play in the NBA (as he's currently on a team in Turkey and is 29 years old). The Suns may have acquired Akyol's rights simply to have a usable asset for future trades.

What does it give the Atlanta Hawks
Hard to argue against this maneuver by the Hawks. Their recent acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova made Scott expendable, and Scott wasn't showing a lot of progress as a player this season with Atlanta. Moving him gets his salary off the books, and opens up a roster spot to potentially add another player (perhaps a vet free agent) down the stretch.

Fantasy impact
Scott wasn't playing much with the Hawks so no remaining Atlanta players seem likely to be much affected by this deal. Similarly for Phoenix's roster, with Scott probably taking over Tucker's backup small forward role there probably isn't much change in the pecking order there either. That said, do keep an eye on whether Scott can challenge TJ Warren for starter minutes. As mentioned above, the aging Akyol may never play in the NBA (so can be avoided in fantasy).