Trail Blazers trade Turner to Hawks for Bazemore

In an uncommon one-for-one swap, the Portland Trail Blazers have traded guard Evan Turner to the Atlanta Hawks for wing Kent Bazemore, the Hawks announced Monday evening.

Both players signed four-year, $70-million contracts during the infamous 2016 offseason, when a new national broadcast deal caused the salary cap to skyrocket, resulting in undiscerning front offices heaping mountains of cash upon capable - if unexceptional - role players. Bazemore will make $19.3 million in the final year of his deal while Turner will collect $18.6 million next season.

Turner, who'll be 31 in October, played a supporting role alongside the Trail Blazers' star backcourt duo, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Over the past three seasons, the 6-foot-7 guard filled the margins, contributing eight points, 3.8 rebounds, and three assists in 24.4 minutes per game. Portland advanced to the playoffs in each of his seasons with the team, making it as far as the Western Conference finals this past spring.

Bazemore, who turns 30 on July 1, was the Hawks' longest-tenured player, having been with the team since the start of the 2014-15 season. As the team's outlook shifted from playoff contention toward a large-scale rebuild, Bazemore's role on the team steadily increased. The Old Dominion product averaged 11.7 points, four rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals in 26.7 minutes per game over the past four seasons.