There's paperwork, there are formalities and then there's what the Atlanta Hawks did Monday: the single most obvious transaction in NBA history.
Thanks to the Joe Johnson trade from July 2012, the Hawks own the right to swap first-round picks with the Brooklyn Nets this season. They have informed the league they will exercise that option, meaning they'll pick at No. 15 instead of No. 29.
If the pick swap and freedom from Johnson's substantial salary isn't enough for the Hawks - who also happen to be in the playoffs long after the Nets - they also received a 2013 first-round pick (later flipped for Lucas Nogueira, Mike Muscala and Jared Cunningham), a 2017 second-round pick and multiple roster players at the time.
Johnson remains a quality player, but his deal is cumbersome enough that the Nets would welcome the chance to trade him. The Nets are also now swearing off moving future first-round picks, with their cupboard barren from failed attempts to win immediately.
While the Nets now have a late first-rounder, the Eastern Conference's top seed has the chance to add a borderline lottery pick in June. Set at every starting position if they retain free agents Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll, the Hawks will have the option to draft for talent rather than need. The No. 15 pick should see several point guards and power forwards available as well as a number of specialists, meaning the Hawks should be able to add a quality rotation piece on the cheap.
The Chicago Bulls also had the right to swap picks with the Cleveland Cavaliers but will surely decline, since their own pick is two spots higher.
