Hawks poised to ship Childress to Phoenix

By Bud L. Ellis

Six years ago, the Atlanta Hawks drafted Josh Childress with the sixth overall pick, tabbing the Stanford swingman as a cornerstone of the massive rebuilding process the franchise was undergoing at the time.

Fast forward to Monday, when it appeared Childress – who hasn’t played a minute for the Hawks the past two seasons – will be heading west.

Published reports indicate Childress, who has played the past two seasons in Greece while Atlanta held its NBA rights, will be dealt from the Hawks to the Phoenix Suns. In return, Atlanta will receive a second-round draft pick and a credit toward the salary cap.

It seems a small return for a player taken so high in the draft, and one the Hawks had plenty of expectations for, expectations that faded as players such as Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Al Horford solidified themselves as team leaders. Childress signed with Olympiakos in 2008, after the Hawks reached the playoffs and pushed eventual world champion Boston to seven games in the opening round.

Childress has played the past two seasons in Greece. He has one more year left on his deal with Olympiakos, but can opt out before Thursday and return to the NBA. It appears that return will be with the Suns and not the Hawks.

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Monday, July 12, 2010 at 9:10 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks news, Atlanta Hawks schedule, Atlanta Hawks tickets, Boston Celtics, Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Phoenix Suns