Atlanta Turned Harrington's Departure Into a Future First
On August 22, 2006, the Atlanta Hawks sent forward Al Harrington and center John Edwards to the Indiana Pacers in an agreement that returned a protected future first-round selection and cash. Harrington was rejoining a franchise he had played for earlier, while Atlanta chose draft capital over extending its immediate commitment to the veteran scorer. The pick's protections mattered because Atlanta did not acquire a player on the spot. The right ultimately conveyed in the 2007 draft, when the Hawks used the eleventh overall selection on guard Acie Law IV. This was not a direct trade of Harrington for an established NBA guard.
Indiana Received a Familiar Rotation Forward
Harrington supplied Indiana with immediate veteran scoring and frontcourt flexibility during the 2006-07 season. His return stint was relatively brief, because the Pacers later included him in a larger trade involving Golden State and several other prominent players. That later agreement had its own incoming and outgoing assets, so the full future contributions of Mike Dunleavy or Troy Murphy cannot simply be assigned to the 2006 Atlanta transaction. John Edwards added another roster piece, but he was not the primary reason for Indiana's interest. The Pacers obtained a player who could help immediately and could subsequently be moved again as part of a broader redesign.
The Hawks Used the Pick on Acie Law
Atlanta exercised the incoming first-round selection at No. 11 in 2007, choosing Texas A&M guard Acie Law IV. Law joined a Hawks team working toward a return to the playoffs, but he did not develop into its long-term starting point guard. Even so, the pick was a legitimate lottery-adjacent asset rather than a conditional promise that vanished. The cash consideration also had practical value without providing additional player games. Law was later part of other Atlanta roster movements, which should be treated as separate exchanges with their own prices and other participants. His subsequent NBA seasons elsewhere do not become more Hawks minutes.
Useful Pick Value Gives Atlanta a Narrow Advantage
Indiana received an experienced forward who could contribute immediately but did not keep him long, while Atlanta gained the right to choose a young player with a relatively high first-round selection and received cash. The Hawks did not turn Law into a star, and Indiana did not obtain a decade of Harrington service through this return stint, so neither side justifies a top-tier grade. The slight Atlanta edge rests on receiving a flexible first-round asset rather than solely on Law's later playing statistics. It still gives Indiana credit for a real veteran and excludes the full results of that subsequent multi-player Warriors transaction.
Final Verdict
Slight Hawks Edge. Atlanta receives B for the protected future first-round pick that became 2007 No. 11 Acie Law IV, plus cash. Indiana earns B- for acquiring Al Harrington's immediate forward minutes and John Edwards, though Harrington was traded onward in a separate multi-player package. Law's subsequent clubs and the Pacers' later Golden State trade cannot inflate either team's direct August 2006 return.