Official division-rival trade
The Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets have completed a three-player trade effective September 22: Atlanta adds forward Dorian Finney-Smith and sends guards Buddy Hield and Ryan Nembhard, plus cash considerations, to Charlotte. The transaction is listed as effective in the league official player-movement records.
The swap appears in NBA.com oficial and was expanded by RealGM, which notes Charlotte may waive Nembhard after adding Hield and the Canadian guard in the exchange.
What Dorian Finney-Smith brings to Atlanta
Finney-Smith, a 6-foot-7, 33-year-old wing, returns to the East after a brief and limited stint with the Houston Rockets, who had traded him to Charlotte earlier in the summer. Last season he appeared in 37 games, averaging 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds, well below his best 3&D form, but his 10-year NBA track record still profiles him as a versatile defensive rotation piece.
For the Hawks, the move adds a veteran with playoff experience and the ability to guard multiple perimeter spots, fitting the search for defensive depth without touching the young core.
Charlotte adds Hield and Nembhard
Buddy Hield, a 33-year-old, 6-foot-4 Bahamian guard, reached Atlanta in the trade that sent Kristaps Porziņģis to Golden State but appeared in only seven games with the Hawks last season. Across Warriors and Atlanta he averaged 7.6 points in 51 games, shooting 34.9% from three, the lowest mark of his career.
Ryan Nembhard, a 23-year-old, 5-foot-11 Canadian point guard, went undrafted and averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 assists in 60 games with Dallas. The Hawks had acquired him in a three-team deal and now sends him to Charlotte, where RealGM reports he could be waived.
Roster impact
Atlanta clears Hield salary footprint and reshapes its backcourt with Finney-Smith arrival, a defensive profile that complements the perimeter rotation. Charlotte takes on Hield money and adds an experienced shooter plus a young point guard in Nembhard, in a Southeast Division deal days before preseason tipoff.
Movement context
Finney-Smith had reached Charlotte from Houston in a salary-dump trade earlier in the summer. His exit confirms the Hornets did not build around him and that Atlanta uses the move to reinforce perimeter defense without giving up core assets. The transaction fits the final roster-tuning window before training camp in the NBA 2026/27 season.
