A player-for-player trade has been completed in the NBA on Friday. As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Phoenix Suns are sending David Roddy to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for E.J. Liddell. This is the second time this offseason that Liddell has been dealt as he was traded to Atlanta in the deal sending Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. Both Roddy and Liddell were selected in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The Phoenix Suns are trading forward David Roddy to the Atlanta Hawks for forward EJ Liddell, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/KqPJve6J2n
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 26, 2024
Player-For-Player Trade Completed By Suns And Hawks
David Roddy Hasn’t Lived Up Yet To First Round Billing
The 23-year-old Roddy was selected 23rd overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He was subsequently traded along with Danny Green to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for De’Anthony Melton. The burly six-foot-four forward played his first two full seasons with Memphis and part of a third before he was traded at last season’s trade deadline to Phoenix.
While Roddy did receive playing time with the Grizzlies, the team soured on him quickly. Playing 70 games as a rookie in 2022-23, he averaged 6.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 18.0 minutes. Prior to being traded by Memphis last season, he played in 48 games for the team. Averaging 23.2 minutes, his per-game averages did increase to 8.4 points and 4.2 rebounds. He really struggled with his outside shooting during his Grizzlies tenure as he connected on just 30.4% of his three-point tries with the team.
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, Liddell was taken in the second round (41st overall) by the Pelicans. Unfortunately, he experienced a serious injury in the 2022 NBA Summer League. The six-foot-seven forward tore his ACL which kept him out of action for the entire 2022-23 season.
Much of the 23-year-old’s playing time in 2023-24 took part in the G League. Liddell received action in only eight games for the Pelicans last season for a grand total of 23 minutes. In that brief amount of time, he totaled four points, five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Liddell averaged 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in his 26 G League regular season outings.
