Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: LaMelo, McDaniels, Anthony, Wizards, Hawks

December 14th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has exited the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the team announced on Tuesday (Twitter link). Ball was assigned to Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, to get back into game shape. Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer adds (via Twitter) that the second-year guard was subsequently recalled from Greensboro following the practice with the NBAGL club.

The Hornets also announced (Twitter link) that forward Jalen McDaniels has fully cleared the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols and will be available to suit up for Charlotte in the team’s next game, Wednesday against the Spurs.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

In a conversation with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, second-year Magic point guard Cole Anthony discussed his candidacy for the 2021/22 Most Improved Player award after a hot start to his sophomore season. Anthony revealed that vying for the award had been a goal ahead of his second year in Orlando. “Coming into this season, that’s an award me and my team talked about winning,” Anthony said. “It’s something that I’d love to win, but at the end of the day, if it happens, it happens. I want to make sure my team is functioning well, everyone is getting better, and that’s a bigger win to me. That being said, I wouldn’t be mad if I won that award. It would be pretty cool to be rewarded for your hard work.” The 6’2″ Anthony was drafted with the No. 15 pick by the Magic out of North Carolina. This season, he is averaging 20.5 PPG on .425/.376/.874 shooting splits, plus 6.1 RPG, 5.6 APG and 0.9 SPG.
Though the Wizards opened the 2021/22 season with a red-hot 10-3 start, they have since fallen back to earth, going 5-10 in their 15 most recent contests. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes that the club could greatly benefit from the returns of forward Rui Hachimura and center Thomas Bryant, neither of whom has played a game for Washington this year. Hughes notes that the 24-year-old Bryant is at least a few weeks away as he continues to recuperate from a February ACL surgery. The 23-year-old Hachimura, who has missed every game this year for undisclosed personal reasons, is currently practicing to acclimate his body to NBA-level play again.
The 13-14 Hawks are striving to improve their on-court cohesion after a disappointing start to the 2021/22 season, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. “I feel like it’s approach,” recently-extended power forward John Collins said. “We need to understand each moment. I don’t think talent, playing the game or any basketball factors are what’s wrong. It’s a matter of analyzation and execution. That’s what needs to change.” Kirschner pinpoints the absences of shot creators Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter, the team’s lackluster reserve point guard play, and a lack of defensive intensity as the root causes for Atlanta’s frustrating first few months.

Rival Execs Think Hawks Would Listen On Hunter

December 14th, 2021 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Rival executives think the Hawks would be open to discussing De’Andre Hunter as part of a package for an “established impact veteran,” per Fischer. Hunter, who has been limited to 34 regular season games since the start of the 2020/21 campaign due to injuries, will become extension-eligible during the 2022 offseason

[SOURCE LINK]

Bogdanovic Progresses To On-Court Workouts

December 13th, 2021 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic, sidelined since late November by a right ankle sprain, has progressed to individual on-court workouts, Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Bogdanovic underwent an MRI shortly after spraining the ankle and the team at that time said he’d miss at least two weeks of action.

Hawks Expected To Extend Schlenk, Promote Fields

December 13th, 2021 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Hawks president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk and other members of Atlanta’s front office will likely sign contract extensions by the 2022 offseason, Charania reports. There have been rumors that other teams may try to lure assistant general manager Landry Fields away from the Hawks, but Fields is trending toward being promoted to GM in Atlanta under Schlenk, according to Charania.

[SOURCE LINK]

Trade Rumors: Schröder, Reddish, Ross, Knox, Forbes, J. Smith

December 13th, 2021 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

Rival teams anticipate that the Celtics will be willing to discuss Dennis Schröder in trade talks this season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Boston unexpectedly signed Schröder to a one-year, $5.9MM deal in the offseason using the taxpayer mid-level exception after the bottom fell out of the point guard’s market. He has enjoyed a strong season so far, averaging 17.5 PPG and 4.9 APG through his first 26 games (33.4 MPG) with the Celtics, which may ultimately price the club out of being able to re-sign him as a free agent in 2022.

The Celtics won’t have cap room in 2022 and would only be able to offer Schröder a 20% raise using his Non-Bird rights. As such, it might make more sense to recoup some value by getting what they can for him at the trade deadline — especially since the C’s don’t look like a legitimate contender at this point.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA, courtesy of Charania:

The Hawks are believed to be seeking a first-round pick in any trade involving Cam Reddish, while the Magic are taking a similar stance with Terrence Ross, says Charania. Neither team should face significant pressure to lower its asking price, since both players are under contract for one more season beyond this one.
Sources tell Charania that teams have called the Knicks to ask about former lottery pick Kevin Knox, who is in his fourth season and will be a free agent in 2022. Knox had a nice game on Sunday, with 18 points and five rebounds vs. Milwaukee, but has otherwise barely played this season, prompting teams to wonder what New York’s plan for him is.
Spurs guard Bryn Forbes, who is on a one-year, $4.5MM deal, is expected to receive trade interest from contenders, according to Charania. Forbes played a role for Milwaukee’s championship team last season.
Suns center Jalen Smith has drawn a little interest and is a candidate to be moved before this season’s trade deadline, per Charania.

Langston Galloway To Sign With G League Team

December 12th, 2021 at 11:12am CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 12: Galloway has reached an agreement to join the G League’s College Park Skyhawks, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. The Skyhawks are the Hawks‘ G League affiliate.

The Skyhawks announced the deal via their official Twitter account.

DECEMBER 11: Point guard Langston Galloway, who helped the Suns reach the NBA Finals last season, will sign with the G League, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Like Isaiah Thomas, who is also hoping for an NBA comeback, Galloway will participate in the G League Showcase set for December 19-22 in Las Vegas.

Galloway played a role off the bench for Phoenix last season, averaging 4.8 points in 40 games while shooting 44.9% from the field and 42.4% from three-point range. However, he was unhappy about playing just 11.0 minutes per night and elected to seek a new team in free agency.

He signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Warriors in late September, but was waived before the season started.

Galloway, who turned 30 this week, went undrafted out of St. Joseph’s in 2014, but was able to put together a seven-year career with the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons and Suns. He has appeared in 445 NBA games with career averages of 8.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

McMillan Drew Interest From Two Other Teams

December 11th, 2021 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Head coach Nate McMillan drew interest from two other teams after the Hawks’ surprising playoff run but was only interested in signing an extension with Atlanta, he told Marc Spears of The Undefeated. “The Hawks really started talking to us probably during the Eastern Conference Finals,” McMillan said. “They were like, ‘Look, we want you to come back.’ My thing was just to stay focused on the playoffs. And at the end of the season, the conversation was had.”
Cam Reddish returned to action on Friday, though the Hawks forward went 0-for-6 from the field and didn’t grab a rebound in 17 minutes. Reddish hadn’t played since November 27 due to a left wrist sprain.

Reddish Goes Through Full Practice

December 9th, 2021 at 4:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks forward Cam Reddish, who is recovering from a wrist injury, went through a full practice on Thursday, according to coach Nate McMillan. Reddish did some shooting and participated in drills at 75% speed. He’s listed as probable to play on Friday.

Hawks’ Solomon Hill Out For Season With Torn Hamstring

December 8th, 2021 at 11:21am CST by Rory Maher

Hawks forward Solomon Hill will miss the remainder of the 2021/22 season with a right hamstring tendon tear, the team announced on Wednesday. Hill suffered the injury on Sunday against Charlotte and a subsequent MRI revealed the tear. He will undergo surgery to repair the injury.

Hill, 30, has played for the Pacers, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Heat and Hawks over the course of his nine-year career. This season with the Hawks, he appeared in just 13 games (10.7 MPG), with modest averages of 0.9 PPG and 1.8 RPG. At 6’6″ and 226 pounds, Hill is primarily known as a burly defensive presence.

Hill was the No. 23 overall pick of the 2013 draft by the Pacers. Across 448 career games (189 starts), he holds averages of 5.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.5 APG in 21.5 MPG, with a .388/.331/.797 shooting line.

Hill re-signed with the Hawks over the summer on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Coach Nate McMillan says Hill was a locker room leader for the Hawks, according to Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“It’s really tough,” McMillan said. “Any time you lose a player for the season, it’s tough, because he was not only a player that has filled roles for us, starting back last season, he’s that emotional leader for us. He’s been a big-time voice for us in the locker room, both on and off the floor.

“It’s a real big loss for us. One of our captains on the team and just a guy that, whenever we’ve had injury, we’ve been able to plug in at the 2, 3, 4 position, whether that’s coming off the bench or starting. Tough loss for us. Sorry to see that for Solo.”

The Hawks have dealt with a number of injuries to wings this season. Starting small forward De’Andre Hunter had right wrist surgery in mid-November and is expected to be sidelined for several more weeks, Bogdan Bogdanovic suffered a sprained ankle, and Cam Reddish is dealing with a sprained wrist.

Jent Will Coach Dec. 1; Okongwu Progressing

December 1st, 2021 at 5:46pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks assistant coach Jamelle McMillan is in the COVID-19 health and safety protocols and head coach Nate McMillan will be isolating until he has tested negative multiple times, the team announced (Twitter link). In a follow-up tweet, the team says that assistant coach Chris Jent will serve as head coach Dec. 1 against the Pacers. Jent is a veteran assistant and has been with the Hawks since 2017.
Second-year Hawks big man Onyeka Okongwu is starting to ramp up activity while recovering from shoulder surgery. We noted last week he played 3-on-3, and now coach Nate McMillan says he’s going to start practicing 5-on-5 with the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, per Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). He’s expected to play in a G League game if the practices go well.