THURSDAY, 12:02pm: Atlanta has officially signed Muscala, the team announced. The release of Dexter Pittman cleared a roster spot enabling the move. The team doesn’t specify whether it’s a 10-day contract or a pact for the rest of the season.
TUESDAY, 8:31am: The Hawks indeed bought out Muscala’s deal with Obradoiro, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, though it’s not clear just how much the Hawks shelled out. It’s unlikely that it was more than the Excluded International Player Payment Amount of $575K, since anything over that figure would count against team salary and come out of Muscala’s paychecks from the Hawks. The deal between Muscala and Obradoiro was believed to be a one-year contract, Vivlamore adds.
7:39am: The Hawks will sign 2013 second-round pick Mike Muscala, reports Javier Maestro of Encestando. Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia provides translation and further confirmation from agent Misko Raznatovic that the former Bucknell center is on his way to Atlanta. Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype reported Monday that the Hawks had been speaking with Spanish club Obradoiro, for which Muscala has been playing, but Atlanta had yet to extend an offer at that point.
It’s not clear how much money, if any, the Hawks had to pony up to buy Muscala out of his Spanish contract. Muscala signed with Obradoiro this summer, a few months after the Mavs drafted him 44th overall and traded him to the Hawks on draft night. The deal is likely for at least the rest of the season, probably with one more non-guaranteed season tacked on. If it were just a 10-day arrangement, Atlanta would lose his draft rights and he’d be free to sign with any NBA team at the end of the 10 days.
Muscala has averaged 14.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game in the Spanish ACB league this year. Other European teams had interest in him, but Obradoiro turned away their pursuit, according to Sierra. Atlanta has the NBA rights to another center playing in Spain, but the Hawks can’t sign Lucas Nogueira, the 16th overall pick from this past June, until this coming summer. That’s because the Hawks took his cap hold off their books to clear cap space before the season started.
The Hawks signed Dexter Pittman to a 10-day contract on Saturday, filling their final roster spot, so they’ll have to wait for Pittman’s contract to run out, cut him loose early, or waive a guaranteed contract to facilitate Muscala’s signing.
Good for Mike, I thought he would have a chance to be a quality backup. A little vacation to Europe and back to the NBA.