NBA TRADE UPDATE: Phoenix Suns Have Officially Trade David Roddy to Hawks For Hawks Most Experienced and Fans Favourite Star in A Player- Player Swap Deal

The Phoenix Suns have agreed to trade forward David Roddy to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for E.J. Liddell, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Liddell was traded from the Hawks to the Pelicans on July 6, as part of the Dejounte Murray deal.

In 2022, New Orleans drafted Liddell 41st overall.

At face value, the Suns’ trade swaps gigantic forwards at the tail end of the roster and provides them with a slight salary cut, which will save them much more money in taxes. Roddy was scheduled to earn $2.8 million in 2024-25, with a club option worth $4.8 million for 2025-26.

Liddell will earn $2.1 million next season, with a club option worth $2.3 million the following year.

The 6-foot-6, 240-pound scorer has participated in eight NBA games for the Pelicans following a successful collegiate career at Ohio State.

He exploded as a junior with the Buckeyes in 2021-22, averaging 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 49% overall and improving to 37.4% from behind the arc that season.

It hasn’t transitioned well to the pros, and an ACL injury in July 2022 set him back even more. Last season, Liddell averaged 17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 23 games with the Birmingham Stallions of the G League.

He shot 50.4% from the field and 27% from deep, averaging 4.4 attempts per game.

Roddy’s 17 games with Phoenix may indicate where Liddell ranks in the pecking order, behind a perimeter-oriented rotation that features superstars such as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Veterans Royce O’Neale, Josh Okogie, Bol Bol, and Nassir Little, as well as rookie Ryan Dunn, would take up minutes at forward, but Liddell’s size and rebounding ability, along with a little scoring punch, provide Phoenix with another interesting forward option.

Last February, Phoenix acquired Roddy from the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the three-team O’Neale transaction.

Across 135 NBA appearances, he has averaged 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists. Despite just 23, he appeared to be competing for a spot on the Suns’ Summer League roster this offseason.