The Atlanta Hawks bolstered their center depth by trading for Jock Landale from the Utah Jazz.
The Atlanta Hawks remain one of the active teams in the NBA in terms of making trades. On Wednesday, ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news that the Hawks were trading for Utah Jazz center Jock Landale. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. EST, and Atlanta continues to make moves with an eye toward addressing immediate roster needs.
In return, the Hawks are sending Utah cash considerations. The move marks Landale’s second trade of the season. He was previously dealt in the Jaren Jackson Jr. blockbuster and has spent the entire year with the Memphis Grizzlies, despite briefly being routed through Utah in the transaction. Atlanta now becomes his latest stop.
Landale is in the midst of a career season. He is averaging 11.3 points per game on 51.4% shooting, along with 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists across 45 games. He has also shown improved floor spacing, knocking down 38.0% of his three-point attempts while playing 23.6 minutes per night. That production gives the Hawks a reliable, experienced option in the middle at a time when depth has become a concern.
Onyeka Okongwu remains out with a dental fracture, and Kristaps Porziņģis has missed several games for various reasons, leaving Atlanta thin at the center position. With those absences, the need to add size and stability in the frontcourt had become increasingly apparent. Landale, a 6-foot-11 big man from Malvern, Australia, helps address that issue immediately.
This deal is now the third trade Atlanta has completed during this deadline cycle. Earlier in January, the Hawks made a franchise-altering decision by trading Trae Young to the Washington Wizards. Just last week, Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh made another move, sending Vít Krejčí to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Duop Reath, who is currently injured.
Landale joins Dyson Daniels and Reath as Australian natives on the Hawks’ roster, adding another familiar international connection to the group. He entered the NBA in 2021 with the San Antonio Spurs and has since played for the Suns, Rockets and Grizzlies before landing in Atlanta. Along the way, he has carved out a role as a physical interior presence who can also stretch the floor offensively.
Landale joins Dyson Daniels and Reath as Australian natives on the Hawks. Landale broke in the NBA back in 2021 with the Spurs, and has since bounced from the Suns to the Rockets and Grizzlies, and now the Atlanta Hawks.
Landale is expected to help with size, rebounding and spacing during Okongwu’s absence, but his arrival also raises questions about how Atlanta will manage its frontcourt rotation moving forward. Christian Koloko and Mouhammed Gueye have both seen increased playing time in recent games, and minutes will be something to monitor as the Hawks continue to evaluate their roster.
The Hawks sit at 25-27 entering the final stretch before the All-Star break. While the Landale addition may not dramatically alter the team’s long-term outlook, it provides a practical solution to an immediate problem and gives Atlanta another option as it looks to stabilize the roster and finish the first half of the season on a stronger note.