Moses Malone
On June 27, 1988, Theus was traded by the Kings to the Atlanta Hawks with a third round pick for Randy Wittman and a first round pick. He averaged 15.8 points and 4.7 assists for the Hawks in 1988–89, playing in the backcourt with Doc Rivers and alongside Hall of Famers Dominique Wilkins and Moses Malone. Theus helped the Hawks go 52-30 and advance to the playoffs.