Hawks trade Hield and Nembhard to Hornets for Finney-Smith

The Atlanta Hawks agreed on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, to trade guards Buddy Hield and Ryan Nembhard along with cash to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for forward Dorian Finney-Smith, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The deal brings the 33-year-old Hield to Charlotte as the seventh team of his 10-year career, while the 33-year-old Finney-Smith joins Atlanta as his fifth team. Nembhard, 23, is heading to his third NBA team after being drafted in 2025. Reporting on the agreement followed earlier indications that the two clubs had been in contact. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Bleacher Report first reported earlier in the week that Atlanta and Charlotte had been discussing a Hield-Finney-Smith swap, and Fischer said shortly before the agreement was reported that the teams had renewed talks with Nembhard included. For Atlanta, the two-for-one move addresses a roster crunch. The Hawks entered the fall with 16 players on standard contracts, and the trade allows them to move forward without waiving any players on guaranteed deals or injured big man Mouhmed Gueye, who is on a non-guaranteed contract while recovering from offseason foot surgery.