Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dikembe Dixson To Work Out For Hawks

September 2nd, 2018 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Dikembe Dixson, a 6’7″ forward out of Illinois-Chicago, has a workout with the Hawks scheduled for Wednesday, tweets Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops.

Dixson, who will turn 22 this week, went undrafted in June after averaging 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals a game in three years with the Flames. He joined Miami’s Summer League team and played limited minutes in both the Sacramento and Las Vegas leagues.

The Hawks already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts and their two-way slots are committed to Jaylen Adams and Alex Poythress. If Dixson does earn a training camp invite, he will likely be competing for a spot with Atlanta’s G League affiliate in Erie.

Hawks Sign Thomas Robinson

August 30th, 2018 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 30: The Hawks have officially signed Robinson, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 27: The Hawks have reached an agreement to sign former lottery pick Thomas Robinson, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania, Robinson will receive a non-guaranteed deal.

The fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft, Robinson didn’t even spend a full season with the Kings before being traded to Houston, then didn’t last long with the Rockets either. Over the course of five NBA seasons, Robinson also spent time with the Trail Blazers, Sixers, Nets, and Lakers. He appeared in 313 overall regular season contests, but never more than 102 for a single club.

Viewed as a strong rebounder and inside scorer coming out of Kansas, Robinson has been unable to carve out a consistent role in the NBA, averaging 4.9 PPG and 4.8 RPG during his career. Having headed overseas in 2017/18, the 27-year-old had a solid season for Russian club Khimki, averaging 8.2 PPG and a team-high 5.8 RPG in 20 EuroLeague games.

Now that he has returned stateside, Robinson will be looking to earn a roster spot on an NBA team, but even on the lottery-bound Hawks, there’s no clear path to a role.

Having recently signed Vince Carter and Daniel Hamilton to guaranteed contracts, the Hawks are carrying 15 players with guaranteed salaries for 2018/19. In order for Robinson to crack the regular season roster, Atlanta would have to trade or release one of those 15 players.

Hawks Partner With State Farm

August 29th, 2018 at 6:56pm CST by clarkcrum

The Hawks have announced a 20-year collaboration with State Farm that includes naming rights for the Hawks’ newly-renovated arena. Per principal owner Tony Ressler, “Our ownership group considers the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club a community asset, and we are excited to have found a partner that shares our vision and has committed to working with us to expand on the community engagement and philanthropic initiatives we do that benefit the many communities that make up this great metropolitan area.”

Southeast Notes: Carter, Heat, Winslow, Len

August 27th, 2018 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Vince Carter wants to go into broadcasting once his playing days are finished and has no desire to become an NBA coach, he told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. One of the reasons he joined the Hawks is that he’ll be in the same city as the headquarters of TNT.

“I enjoy coaching the game, but I don’t want to be a coach,” Carter said. “I think this is another way you can coach the game, but to a different crowd. Everybody watches the game and wonder why do they do this? I can give the inside look as an NBA player on what they think about, what they’re talking about, what teams are trying to accomplish while you’re watching the game.”

The fact that NBA coaches can get fired even if they’re successful is another reason why Carter would rather be a broadcaster.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Heat are unlikely to trade for a star player during the upcoming season, though they could dump some salary to avoid the luxury tax, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines. The current roster doesn’t look strong enough to justify a bold move for a big-time player. Instead, it’s more likely the plan to return to prominence will center around 2020 free agency, Winderman adds.
The Heat ought to experiment with Justise Winslow, and Josh Richardson in various situations and positions to find out how they fit into the long-term picture, Winderman argues in another mailbag post. They could look at Winslow anywhere from a backup point to an undersized power forward. They could also take a similar approach with Richardson, even though he’s already signed an extension, Winderman adds.
Hawks center Alex Len will play for Ukraine’s national team in the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament in September, according to the Ukrainian Federation. The news was tweeted by Olesandr Proshuta. Len hasn’t played for his national team since he left for the United States to play college ball at Maryland in 2011, Proshuta notes.

Vince Carter Ready For Mentor Role

August 25th, 2018 at 1:47pm CST by clarkcrum

While Vince Carter could have spurned the Hawks and signed with a serious title contender this offseason, he tells Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that such a quest is “not his style.” Rather, Carter will be relied upon to be a veteran influence over the youthful roster Atlanta has assembled. “Let them see me and let them see how annoying I can be, but in a good way,” Carter said during an introductory press conference. “I’m going to stay in their ear. At least you know at any time throughout the year, whether it’s practice games, any situation, they will have me to fall back on. Or I’ll come up to them and help them out any way I can.”

Vince Carter: I Have A Young Guy’s Mentality

August 25th, 2018 at 11:01am CST by marksuleymanov

In what could be Vince Carter‘s final NBA season, the two-decade veteran signed a one-year deal with the Hawks. The soon-to-be 42-year-old is the oldest active player in the NBA and is joining his fourth team in six seasons.

“I love to play, man. I have a young guy’s mentality with a 40-year-old body,” Carter said, per The Associated Press (via ESPN).

Last season with the Kings, Carter played nearly 18 minutes per night and averaged 5.4 PPG in 58 games. He has not been a starter since the 2011/12 season, instead transitioning into the effective veteran off the bench role.

The Hawks reportedly signed the eight-time All-Star to be a mentor to a young team in Atlanta. Even so, Carter said his goal is to prove that he can still be a productive player despite his age.

“I know playing this game that the media and the fans and people can be cruel,” Carter said. “It’s like, ‘You’re old and you’re playing against guys half your age. You shouldn’t be out here.’ But then for me that is my goal, to prove that I’m able to do that. And I put in a lot of work in mentally as well as physically just preparing myself.”

A former Rookie of the Year (1999), Carter’s career has included nearly every possible phase. He’s been the sensational rookie, perennial All-Star, dependable veteran and now, a seasoned asset with 21 years of NBA experience. Despite that, Carter still believes he can contribute when called upon.

“I’m still the same person,” Carter said. “My approach is still the same. My work ethic, my ability to play the game is still the same. Obviously it’s limited. You just don’t get to see it as much, but it’s the same guy.”

Hawks Sign Vince Carter

August 24th, 2018 at 12:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 24: Nearly a month after agreeing to terms with the Hawks, Carter has officially signed his one-year contract with the team, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta now has 15 players on guaranteed contracts for the 2018/19 season.

JULY 25: Vince Carter has reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Hawks, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Carter will receive a veteran’s minimum contract worth $2.4MM, adds Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

The deal guarantees a 21st season for Carter, who will turn 42 in January. The oldest active NBA player, he spent last season with the Kings, playing about 18 minutes per night and averaging 5.4 PPG in 58 games.

The Hawks envision Carter as a mentor who will be a strong locker room leader for a young roster, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

After six years of playing for contenders in Dallas and Memphis, this is Carter’s second straight signing for a team that has little chance of making the postseason.

A return to the Raptors, where Carter began his NBA career in 1998, might have made a nice story, but it appears unlikely to ever happen, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Lewenberg adds that Carter has gotten opportunities to come back to Toronto, but hasn’t followed through.

The Hawks have used up virtually all of their cap space after completing their acquisition of Carmelo Anthony earlier today, and have committed most of their room exception to Alex Len. As such, it made sense that Carter would receive a minimum-salary contract — it’s all Atlanta could offer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hamilton Sees Opportunity: Carter Ready To Sign

August 23rd, 2018 at 4:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

After two years of being a fringe player for Oklahoma City, Daniel Hamilton is excited about the opportunity that awaits him with the Hawks, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 23-year-old shooting guard signed this week and hopes to become part of a young core in Atlanta.

Nearly a month after Vince Carter committed to joining the Hawks, his official signing will take place tomorrow, Vivlamore tweets. The 41-year-old has said he expects this to be his final NBA season.

Hawks, Nets Carrying Most 2018/19 Dead Money

August 23rd, 2018 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly two-thirds of the NBA’s 30 teams are carrying some sort of “dead money” on their salary cap for 2018/19. This dead money is created as a result of having, at some point, waived a player who had guaranteed money left on his contract.

In some cases, teams are carrying cap hits for players even though they released them several years ago. That’s the case in Detroit, for instance, where the Pistons have a $5,331,729 cap charge for Josh Smith this season — the Pistons cut Smith in 2014.

In other situations, the dead money is a result of having waived a player within the last couple months. The Mavericks, for example, created $1,544,951 in dead money when they released Chinanu Onuaku earlier in August.

The dead money total for most teams will increase over the course of the season. A few players on guaranteed contracts will be cut when rosters are reduced to 15 players in October. Some clubs will carry players on non-guaranteed contracts for a little while, then waive them before their full salaries guarantee, leaving a partial cap charge on their books. Expired 10-day contracts are also a common source of dead money later in the season.

Even at this point in the offseason though, there are several teams with a substantial amount of 2018/19 dead money on their cap. This isn’t necessarily a sign of cap mismanagement — the Hawks, for instance, lead the way with nearly $28MM in dead money on their books, but those charges are a result of acquiring and waiving Carmelo Anthony and Jamal Crawford. Both of those players came with first-round picks attached, so Atlanta doesn’t mind the fact that they’re taking up a chunk of the team’s cap room this year.

Here’s the full list of 2018/19 dead money by team, as of August 23, starting with those Hawks:

Atlanta Hawks: $27,838,479
Brooklyn Nets: $24,394,512
Milwaukee Bucks: $7,372,604
Indiana Pacers: $6,245,400
Detroit Pistons: $5,331,729
Portland Trail Blazers: $5,091,108
Sacramento Kings: $4,651,161
Minnesota Timberwolves: $2,045,645
San Antonio Spurs: $1,881,250
Dallas Mavericks: $1,544,951
Memphis Grizzlies: $1,541,538
Orlando Magic: $1,333,333
Toronto Raptors: $1,000,000
Golden State Warriors: $945,126
Los Angeles Clippers: $902,043
Washington Wizards: $833,333
Miami Heat: $350,088
Houston Rockets: $122,741
Boston Celtics: $92,857
Charlotte Hornets: $0
Chicago Bulls: $0
Cleveland Cavaliers: $0
Denver Nuggets: $0
Los Angeles Lakers: $0
New Orleans Pelicans: $0
New York Knicks: $0
Oklahoma City Thunder: $0
Philadelphia 76ers: $0
Phoenix Suns: $0
Utah Jazz: $0

Of the teams with no dead money on their book so far for the 2018/19 season, the Knicks and Suns are the most likely candidates to jump to the upper tier of this list at some point. New York has reportedly been considering waiving and stretching Joakim Noah after September 1, while Phoenix is still expected to buy out Darrell Arthur at some point.

Contract information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Fellow Rookies Pick Ayton, Sexton As RoY Favorites

August 21st, 2018 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

For the 10th time in 12 years, John Schuhmann of NBA.com got the opportunity to ask the NBA’s incoming crop of rookies a series of questions related to their fellow draftees.

Historically, the NBA rookies haven’t been particularly clairvoyant when it comes to their predictions — they haven’t accurately identified a Rookie of the Year winner since Kevin Durant in 2007/08. Still, it’s an interesting exercise, and one that occasionally results in a dead-on prediction, like when last year’s rookie class named Donovan Mitchell the steal of the 2017 draft.

Here are a few of the most interesting responses from this year’s rookies about the 2018/19 class:

Deandre Ayton (Suns) and Collin Sexton (Cavaliers) are viewed as the co-favorites for the Rookie of the Year award this season, with each player earning 18% of the vote. No other rookie had more than a 9% share of the vote.
Opinions were a little more divided on which player would have the best long-term NBA career, with Wendell Carter Jr. (Bulls) narrowly earning that title by receiving 13% of the vote. Interestingly, reigning EuroLeague MVP Luka Doncic (Mavericks) wasn’t picked by a single player for this question.
No. 48 overall pick Keita Bates-Diop (Timberwolves) was named the steal of the 2018 NBA draft by his fellow rookies, edging out 14th overall pick Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets) and 18th overall pick Lonnie Walker (Spurs).
Trae Young (Hawks) is widely considered the best shooter and play-maker in this year’s class. Jevon Carter (Grizzlies) earned the most votes for best rookie defender, while Zhaire Smith (Sixers) is viewed as the most athletic rookie.
Be sure to check out Schuhmann’s full piece for the rest of the rookie survey results.