- Don’t be surprised if the Hawks put out feelers to test the market value of point guard Dennis Schroder, per Deveney.
[SOURCE LINK]
- In addition to assigning Muscala to the G League (noted below), the Hawks have also sent Tyler Dorsey to the Erie Bayhawks, the club announced today in a press release.
- The Hawks have sent veteran big man Mike Muscala to the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Muscala, who had to sign off on his assignment to the Erie BayHawks, is rehabbing an ankle injury, and this move suggests he’s progressing toward a return.
- League sources tell Kyler that the Hawks might be open to moving Kent Bazemore for the right combination of expiring contracts and a first-round pick. Even if that pick is “highly protected,” as Kyler suggests, I’d be very surprised if any team is willing to pay that price for Bazemore, who is owed $18MM+ in 2018/19 and $19MM+ in 2019/20.
[SOURCE LINK]
The Hawks have converted Tyler Cavanaugh‘s two-way contract into a standard NBA deal, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed the rookie forward to a multiyear pact. Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported (via Twitter) that the deal was done, while Shams Charania of The Vertical noted (via Twitter) that it’s a two-year contract.
Cavanaugh, who will turn 24 in February, initially inked an NBA contract with the Hawks in September, but it was a non-guaranteed camp deal. After being waived in October, the former George Washington standout signed a two-way contract with Atlanta in November. With the Hawks battling injury issues in the frontcourt, Cavanaugh has been on the NBA roster rather than with the Erie BayHawks since he signed, meaning his 45-day clock had nearly run out.
The Hawks won’t need to make a corresponding roster move today to create room for Cavanaugh, since they already did so earlier this month — the club waived Nicolas Brussino on December 8 and have been carrying an open roster spot since then. With Cavanaugh now on the NBA roster full time, Atlanta has 15 players on standard NBA contracts, with one (Josh Magette) on a two-way pact.
In 19 games (13.8 MPG) for the Hawks so far this season, Cavanaugh has averaged 5.5 PPG and 3.2 RPG with a .507/.409/.769 shooting line.
- While there’s no direct indication that the Hawks are shopping Marco Belinelli, the veteran would be an excellent fit for the Nuggets, Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype writes. Belinelli has connections to Denver’s front office and the 95% free-throw shooter could provide support in one area that the team particularly needs it.
- On the heels of a solid game for the Erie BayHawks on Wednesday, rookie guard Tyler Dorsey was recalled today by the Hawks, the team announced in a press release. Dorsey, the 41st overall pick in 2017’s draft, recorded 15 points and 11 boards in Erie’s win over Wisconsin yesterday.
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News examines the job security for head coaches around the NBA, concluding that Frank Vogel (Magic), Mike Budenholzer (Hawks), Dave Joerger (Kings), and Fred Hoiberg (Bulls) are among those whose seats are hottest.
- The Hawks assigned rookie big man John Collins to their G League affiliate today, but only briefly. Collins participated in practice with the Erie BayHawks, then was recalled to the NBA by Atlanta later in the day, the team announced. Collins, who last played on November 30, continues to recover from a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder.
- The Hawks also assigned guard Tyler Dorsey to their G League affiliate on Tuesday, the team announced in a press release. Dorsey has appeared in nine games with Atlanta this season, averaging 2.4 PPG.
Acknowledging that the Hawks don’t currently have a “franchise guy” on their roster, general manager Travis Schlenk said today during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio that the Hawks hope to find a player of that caliber in the draft (hat tip to Amico Hoops). As Schlenk explained, the draft looks like a more reliable source of impact talent for the Hawks than free agency or the trade market.
“It’s hard to get those [franchise players] in trades, obviously,” Schlenk said. “We’re in a climate today in the NBA where superstar players, when they decide they want to be traded, they can really control quite a bit where they’re going to go.
“Also, obviously in free agency, it’s tough to get those guys,” Schlenk continued. “Free agents want to go to a place where they can team up with someone else to try to win a championship. Unfortunately right now, that’s not where we are as an organization, so for us, the best way to get that cornerstone franchise guy is in the draft.”
Schlenk’s comments are hardly groundbreaking, given the moves he made in his first offseason as the team’s GM, not to mention the Hawks’ place in the standings. Atlanta currently has a 6-20 record, tied for the worst mark in the NBA, putting the franchise in an excellent position to nab a top-five pick in the 2018 draft.
[RELATED: 2017/18 NBA Reverse Standings]
Still, Schlenk’s focus on the draft is worth noting, since it was just earlier this year that the Hawks reportedly made a strong push to trade for Paul George. The team struck out on George at last season’s deadline and Schlenk – who was part of a Warriors front office that drafted Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green – took over as Atlanta’s head of basketball operations a few months later.
Atlanta’s offer for PG13 was said to feature several first-round picks, but Schlenk’s approach to the rebuilding process suggests that he has no plans to dip into the team’s stockpile of 2018 and 2019 picks in a trade for a star. Instead, he and the Hawks’ front office is likely doing its homework on a group of top 2018 prospects that includes Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III, and DeAndre Ayton, among others.
10:10am: The Hawks don’t intend to use their newly-opener roster spot right away, but eventually want to convert Tyler Cavanaugh‘s two-way contract into a standard NBA deal, per Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
10:03am: The Hawks have opened up a spot on their roster by waiving second-year forward Nicolas Brussino, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Atlanta now has a total of 16 players under contract, but only 12 have fully guaranteed NBA salaries — two are on partially guaranteed contracts, and a couple more are on two-way deals.
Brussino, 24, signed with the Mavericks last summer and spent the 2016/17 season with the team, averaging 2.8 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 54 contests (9.6 MPG). Dallas didn’t want to guarantee Brussino’s salary for the 2017/18 campaign, so the club waived him July, at which point he was claimed by the Hawks. He appeared briefly in just four games for Atlanta this season.
Brussino’s minimum salary for this season became guaranteed in the summer, so the Hawks will remain on the hook for that amount, assuming the 6’7″ Argentinian goes unclaimed on waivers. Brussino’s contract also includes a $1,544,951 salary for 2018/19, but that figure is non-guaranteed.
It’s not clear if the Hawks have another roster move on tap after cutting Brussino. If not, they’ll have some flexibility going forward. NBA teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts next month, so if Atlanta doesn’t fill its open roster spot before then, the club could use the opening to take fliers on multiple young players in the second half.