For the second time in an hour, a member of the 2021-22 Duke basketball team got traded on Thursday afternoon.
Shortly after the Minnesota Timberwolves sent Wendell Moore Jr. to the Detroit Pistons, the Atlanta Hawks dealt AJ Griffin to the Houston Rockets.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the trade. The Hawks got the 44th pick in the 2024 NBA draft as compensation just a few hours before the second round got underway.
Griffin, a five-star prospect from the Class of 2021, entered Durham as 247Sports’ 12th-ranked freshman. He helped guide the Blue Devils to the Final Four alongside Moore and No. 1 draft pick Paolo Banchero.
Griffin averaged 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds during his only season with the Blue Devils, including a career-high 27 points during his first game against North Carolina.
Griffin has played 92 games across his two-year NBA career. He stood out as a rookie, averaging 8.9 points per game and making 39.0% of his 3-pointers with 12 starting appearances. The 2023-24 season was bumpier for the young Blue Devil, however. He only appeared in 20 games, averaging 2.4 points in 8.6 minutes per game and making just 25.6% of his threes.
ESPN Sources: The Atlanta Hawks are trading F AJ Griffin to the Houston Rockets for the 44th pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft. Griffin, 20, was a 2022 first-round pick out of Duke. pic.twitter.com/IhjHKnCxCd
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024
Griffin is still just 20 years old.