Phoenix Took Mike Scott, Akyol Rights and Cash for a Conditional Second
On February 23, 2017, Atlanta sent forward Mike Scott, draft rights to Cenk Akyol and cash to Phoenix. The Hawks received a 2017 second-round choice protected through No. 55, a condition that did not convey in the historical transaction ledger. This exchange was part of Atlanta’s continued salary management after other January and February moves, including the earlier transaction that had brought Akyol rights from Denver. Scott was a veteran power forward who had given Atlanta useful reserve shooting in prior seasons but whose 2016-17 role was diminished. Phoenix was willing to take the contract and financial considerations rather than give up a guaranteed selection. The Suns obtained a second international rights option alongside Scott, not a new draft pick.
Scott Did Not Play a New Suns Season
Scott had appeared for Atlanta in previous years and became a productive bench scorer for Washington later in his career. Neither period counts as Phoenix playing production from this trade. He did not become a Suns regular-season rotation forward after the February agreement, making the basketball return smaller than the familiar player name might suggest. The franchise received the cash accompanying him and was able to control how it managed the incoming contract. The inherited Suns B grade therefore reflects asset and financial management rather than a claimed twenty-point scoring season from Scott. The trade came during Phoenix’s broader rebuild around young perimeter and frontcourt players, with no expectation that a February reserve acquisition would change the team’s playoff prospects. His eventual time in Washington is a separate free-agent decision.
The Hawks Did Not Receive a Selected Second-Round Prospect
Atlanta’s conditional compensation was a second-round pick protected through the top 55 draft positions in 2017. The inherited record says the condition did not activate, leaving no actual selected NBA player for the Hawks to credit to this agreement. The club did gain the ability to redirect Scott’s contract and give other players minutes, but its direct draft return was not a future prospect who later started games. Akyol rights also left the franchise for Phoenix without creating an Atlanta NBA playing career. The Hawks C+ inherited grade recognizes that roster-management benefit while acknowledging the nonconveyed pick. Phoenix’s B is slightly higher because it received cash and two controlled assets at effectively no realized draft cost. This makes the Suns Win result more about avoiding a pick transfer than on-court scoring.
Final Verdict
Suns Win. Phoenix earns B for Mike Scott, Cenk Akyol rights and cash considerations, although Scott did not play a Suns regular-season game. Atlanta receives C+ for a top-55-protected 2017 second-round pick that did not convey. Neither side acquired a new NBA starting player from the trade.