Trail Blazers Trade Evan Turner to Hawks For Kent Bazemore, Players Thanks Respective Teams In Instagram Tributes

The Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers announced a trade on Monday night of Kent Bazemore to Portland in return for Evan Turner.

Bazemore, a journeyman shooting guard, has enjoyed a surprising amount of longevity in the NBA. Undrafted after four seasons at Old Dominion, next season will be Bazemore’s eighth NBA season. Bazemore signed with the Golden State Warriors after impressing the front office during the 2012 NBA Summer League, splitting time between playing in the NBA and the D-League during the two seasons that Bazemore played for the Warriors.

It was not until February 2014, when the Warriors traded Bazemore to the Los Angeles Lakers, that Bazemore established himself as a legitimate NBA player. In 23 games with the Lakers, Bazemore averaged 13 points per game on 45% shooting from the field.

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After signing with the Hawks during free agency in 2014, Bazemore has played the last five seasons in Atlanta before being traded to the Trail Blazers Monday night. After accepting his $19.2 million player option for next season in April, Bazemore became a tradable piece for a Hawks team looking to sign Klay Thompson to a potential max contract this summer. Bazemore is an insurance piece for the Trail Blazers, assuming they do not re-sign Rodney Hood this summer.

Turner, the 2nd overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, has never really panned out to the potential that he displayed in college for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Now entering his 10th NBA season next year, Turner has bounced around the league from the Philadelphia 76ers, to the Indiana Pacers, to the Boston Celtics, to the Portland Trail Blazers, and now to the Atlanta Hawks.

Last season with the Trail Blazers, Turner averaged 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game playing a point-forward role off the bench. Turner also shot a career-low 21.2% from the three-point range. Turner, like Bazemore, is entering the final year of his current contract. Turner should provide the Hawks good leadership, the quality that he is probably best known for around the league and that made him one of the most popular players for the Trail Blazers.