The September 22 Trade Is Official
NBA.com and Charlotte's official announcement confirm Atlanta sent Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash to the Hornets for Dorian Finney-Smith. This is a player-and-cash exchange, not a trade involving a draft pick on September 22. The Associated Press report carried by NBA.com lists the same assets on both sides. Charlotte had acquired Finney-Smith earlier in the offseason in a Houston transaction that also involved three second-round picks; those earlier selections aren't a return generated by this Atlanta trade. Preserving the transaction boundary prevents the page from overstating either team's haul.
What Atlanta Gets From Finney-Smith
Finney-Smith gives the Hawks a veteran forward with a history of defensive and perimeter responsibilities. The NBA's trade report says he spent the preceding season with Houston, playing sparingly, and averaged 3.3 points. That recent production limits any claim that Atlanta has already added a high-volume scorer. The plausible appeal is role fit, lineup flexibility and veteran experience, all of which require the upcoming season to test. An early B for Atlanta should be read as an assessment of the asset and its fit, not a grade based on games that have not occurred since September 22.
Charlotte's Initial Return and Immediate Follow-On
The Hornets initially received Hield, Nembhard and cash. NBA.com's September 22 report lists Hield at 7.6 points per game across 51 appearances for Golden State and Atlanta in the prior season. Nembhard averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 assists in 60 Mavericks games before arriving in this sequence. Those figures establish recent experience but do not measure what either would deliver in Charlotte. A separate NBA.com report confirms Charlotte subsequently sent Hield to Chicago for Rob Dillingham. That later transaction belongs to a downstream asset chain rather than the original Atlanta deal; it can inform the eventual return, but it shouldn't be collapsed into the September 22 exchange itself.
What Still Needs to Happen for a Lasting Verdict
The record also notes that Nembhard was waived in the subsequent roster activity and that Dillingham later departed, leaving Charlotte's eventual return more financial than developmental. Those later moves complicate a simple player-for-player grade, particularly because cash and flexibility aren't directly comparable to a full season of on-court output. Atlanta's upside is having Finney-Smith fill a useful role. Charlotte's case rests on the ability to redirect veterans and clear roster or salary commitments. Both sides' value needs checking after the regular season, and the early scores should carry a provisional label rather than implying that a future outcome is known.
Provisional Verdict
Slight Hornets Edge, provisionally. Charlotte receives a preliminary B+ for the initial player-and-cash package and its available follow-on flexibility, while Atlanta receives a B for the Finney-Smith acquisition. The deal is official, but neither club has established meaningful post-trade season value yet, and subsequent Charlotte transactions must be evaluated as distinct steps.