In the NBA, a player-for-player transaction was finalized on Friday. The Phoenix Suns are trading David Roddy to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for E.J. Liddell, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Liddell has been dealt twice this offseason; the first time was when he was sent to Atlanta along with Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. Liddell and Roddy were both chosen in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Player-For-Player Trade Completed By Suns And Hawks
David Roddy Hasn’t Lived Up Yet To First Round Billing
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Roddy, 23, as the 23rd pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He was dealt, along with Danny Green, to the Memphis Grizzlies for De’Anthony Melton. The big six-foot-four forward spent his first two full seasons and a portion of a third with Memphis before being sold to Phoenix at the trade deadline last season.
While Roddy did get some playing time with the Grizzlies, the club quickly soured on him. In 70 games as a rookie in 2022-23, he averaged 6.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per 18.0 minutes. Prior to being moved by Memphis last season, he appeared in 48 games. His per-game statistics increased to 8.4 points and 4.2 rebounds while playing 23.2 minutes. He struggled with outside shooting throughout his time with the Grizzlies, connecting on only 30.4% of his three-point attempts.
Once Roddy joined Phoenix, he was often glued to the bench. He played 17 games for them for a total of just 63 minutes. His three-point struggles continued as he made just one of his eight tries from beyond the arc. Roddy saw a total of three minutes in two games as the Suns got swept in the opening round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
E.J. Liddell Has Barely Seen Any NBA Action
In the 2022 NBA Draft, the Pelicans selected Liddell in the second round (41st overall). Unfortunately, he had a terrible injury during the 2022 NBA Summer League. The six-foot-seven forward tore his ACL and missed the entire 2022-23 season.
In 2023-24, the 23-year-old spent a significant amount of time playing in the G League. Liddell appeared in only eight Pelicans games last season, playing a total of 23 minutes. In that short period of time, he recorded four points, five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Liddell averaged 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 26 G League regular-season games.
