Atlanta Hawks Blog – Page 29 – NBA Blog

Hawks sign rookies Taurean Prince and DeAndre` Bembry

The Atlanta Hawks have signed rookie forwards Taurean Prince and DeAndre’ Bembry.

Prince, the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, was traded to the Hawks in a three-team deal that involved the Pacers. The four-year letterman at Baylor, averaged 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 34 games as a senior while garnering First Team All-Big 12 honors. The 6’8 forward was also named Second Team All-Big 12 as junior as well as the league’s Sixth Man of the Year after recording 13.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists in 33 contests. Prince owns career averages of 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting .460 from the field, .376 from three-point range and .718 from the free throw line in 129 games.

Bembry, the 21st overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Hawks, was a three-year letterman at St. Joseph’s averaging 15.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals (.457 FG%) in 36.1 minutes in 101 career games. As a junior, he tallied 17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals (.479 FG%) in 37.3 minutes over 36 contests, while being named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and garnering All-League, All-Defensive Team and All-Tournament honors for the conference.

The rookies are teammates on the Hawks’ 2016 Las Vegas Summer League squad. Prince has appeared in three games and is averaging 13.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.7 assists in 26.4 minutes, while Bembry has played in five contests and is recording 10.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 26.8 minutes.

Hawks waive Lamar Patterson

The Atlanta Hawks have requested waivers on Lamar Patterson, President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer announced today.

Patterson, a 6-5, 225-pound guard/forward, was the 48th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, appeared in 35 games for the Hawks in 2015-16.

Celtics sign Al Horford

The Boston Celtics signed free agent forward/center and four-time NBA All-Star Al Horford today.

“I am extremely excited to be joining the Boston Celtics family,” said Horford. “I look forward to working with Coach Stevens and the rest of our team towards our goal of bringing a championship back to Boston.”

Horford’s deal is reportedly a $113 million dollar contract over four years.

“We are very glad to welcome Al Horford and his family to the Celtics,” said Celtics Co-Owner and Managing Partner Wyc Grousbeck. “His burning desire to play basketball the right way reminds me of the great Celtics of the past. He is a four-time All-Star, a gifted shooter, playmaker and defender, and an outstanding person. He believes in Celtic Pride and we believe in him.”

In years to come, I feel like this will open the doors for many other big free agents,” Horford said Friday, according to Boston.com.

The 6’10” Horford appeared in a career-high 82 games (all starts) for the Atlanta Hawks last season where he averaged 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 blocks (17th in NBA) while shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. Horford was one of three players in the NBA last season to record at least 1,200 points, 575 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 blocks. He is also one of 13 active players to record at least 8,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 1,500 assists and 675 blocks in their career.

“Al is a significant addition to our team and will make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor,” said President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “He is a proven veteran and leader, on and off the court, and we look forward to welcoming Al and his family to Boston and the Celtics organization.”

Selected with the third overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by Atlanta, Horford has career averages of 14.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. The nine year NBA veteran has been an All-Star four times (2015-16, 2014-15, 2010-11 and 2009-10). He was named to the 2007-08 NBA All-Rookie First Team and also was named to the 2010-11 All-NBA Third Team when he averaged 15.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 block per game. Born in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, Horford led the Hawks to nine consecutive playoff appearances to start his career.

Hawks re-sign Kent Bazemore

Big money for a talented player who can still improve

The Atlanta Hawks have re-signed guard Kent Bazemore, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. The deal is reportedly a $70 million dollar contract over four years.

Bazemore, 27, set single-season career highs nearly every statistical category last year, his second in Atlanta, after averaging 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 27.8 minutes (.441 FG%, .357 3FG%, .815 FT%) in 75 games (68 starting assignments). He ranked second on the club in steals per game and free throw percentage, and third in rebounds per game and three-pointers made (109). The four-year veteran scored in double-figures 41 times, including 11 20-point outings, and posted his first career double-double (at Detroit on Mar. 16).

“We are excited to re-sign Kent and welcome him back to the Hawks,” Budenholzer said. “His passion for the game is contagious and through his tireless work ethic, he has developed into a dynamic two-way player. We look forward to his continued development with us.”

The 6’5 guard originally signed with the Hawks as free agent on Sept. 23, 2014 after spending parts of his first two years with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. In his first season in an Atlanta uniform (2014-15) he posted 5.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.6 minutes in 75 games (10 starts).

Bazemore owns career averages of 6.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 16.5 minutes, seeing action in 278 games (93 starts).

Three team trade sends Jeff Teague to Pacers, George Hill to Jazz

The Atlanta Hawks have acquired the draft rights to Taurean Prince, the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, from the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team trade, it was announced today by General Manager Wes Wilcox. As part of the deal, the Hawks will send guard Jeff Teague to Indiana and the Jazz will receive guard George Hill from the Pacers.

“Taurean has many of the qualities that we value in our program…we are excited to add his competitiveness, toughness, versatility, and desire to improve,” Wilcox said. “We would also like to thank Coach Scott Drew and Baylor Basketball for their help throughout the scouting process. Taurean is eager to get started and we look forward to beginning his development with our coaches and athletic performance team.”

“I would like to thank Jeff for his seven years with the organization, and our three years together,” said Hawks President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. “Jeff developed into a key contributor and played an integral role in the team’s recent success. We wish him well in the next chapter of his career.”

Prince, a four-year letterman at Baylor, averaged 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 34 games as a senior while garnering First Team All-Big 12 honors. The 6’8 forward was also named Second Team All-Big 12 as junior as well as the league’s Sixth Man of the Year after recording 13.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists in 33 contests. Prince owns career averages of 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting .460 from the field, .376 from three-point range and .718 from the free throw line in 129 games.

Teague, an Indianapolis native, comes to the Pacers from the Atlanta Hawks as part of a three-way trade. The Pacers send guard George Hill to Utah and the Jazz send the 12th overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, Baylor’s Taurean Prince, to Atlanta. Young was acquired from Brooklyn in exchange for the Pacers’ first-round pick (20th overall) in the June draft, Michigan’s Caris LeVert.

“We want to thank George for his five seasons with us,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He’s a great guy who did a lot for the community. We wish him nothing but the best. With Jeff, we think he brings something we haven’t had in a true point guard. We think he fits in with what we’re trying to do. He has speed, the ability to create for others and he can score. We look forward to working with him.

“Thaddeus is a long, athletic power forward who can defend multiple positions. He was a 15-point scorer last year and averaged nine rebounds a game. We think he’s a good fit between Myles (Turner) and Paul (George).”

Teague, 28, grew up in Indianapolis (Pike High School), played collegiately at Wake Forest and was a first-round pick (19th overall) of the Hawks in 2009. In seven seasons with Atlanta, Teague averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 assists. Last season, he averaged 15.7 points and 5.9 assists per game. In 2015, he was named to the NBA All-Star team.

Hill (6-3, 188, IUPUI) appeared in 74 games (73 starts) for the Pacers this season, averaging 12.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting a career-high .408 (128-314) from three-point range in 34.1 minutes of action. Hill’s seventh-seeded Pacers then pushed second-seed Toronto to seven games as he averaged 13.6 points on .481 (13-27) three-point shooting.

Originally selected in the first round (26th overall selection) of the 2008 NBA Draft by San Antonio, the 30-year-old guard has appeared in 550 career games (325 starts) over eight seasons with San Antonio and Indiana, and owns career averages of 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists and .376 three-point shooting in 28.8 minutes. His teams have made the playoffs in seven of his eight seasons and he has appeared in a total of 75 playoffs games (64 starts) averaging 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and a .371 three-point percentage. Hill helped the Indiana Pacers to two straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014.

Prior to the NBA, the Indianapolis native played four seasons at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (2004-08) where he was named The Summit League Player of the Year (2008) and All-Summit League First Team twice (2006, 2008). For his collegiate career, Hill appeared in 94 games and averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 33.4 minutes.

He will wear uniform #3 for the Jazz.

Al Horford to sign with Celtics

Big move for Boston, landing a versatile, undersized but talented center with a nice outside shot, Al Horford. The Hawks will miss him, but they have Paul Millsap and new addition Dwight Howard up front and so it isn’t surprising that Horford is signing elsewhere. Here’s the Boston Herald blog reporting:

In certainly the most expensive free agent signing in franchise history, the Celtics will pay Horford $113 million over the next four years. According to Yahoo/The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Horford and the Hawks finished $6 million apart on a five-year max contract offer, and were unable to close the gap.

At 7:16 p.m. Horford posted on his Twitter page “CELTICS PRIDE!!!!!!” followed by a line of 18 shamrocks. Die-hards will clearly read into that number, since the Celtics are one NBA title away from that number of championships.

Horford also painted his Twitter page and avatar in Celtics green and added “Boston Celtics star Forward/Center” to his Twitter bio.

The Celtics have a 30-year-old All-Star center in his prime, and an entirely different look to what they can now do at both ends of the floor.

Hawks exercise contract option on Mike Muscala

The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the contract option for the 2016-17 season on forward/center Mike Muscala, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

In the 2015-16 season, Muscala played in a career-high 60 games, shooting .500 from the field and .795 from the free throw line in 9.4 minutes per game. He completed the year with career-bests in defensive rebounds (79), assists (34), free throws made (31) and blocks (27). Muscala, the 44th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, has seen action in 120 games over the last three seasons with the Hawks. He recorded his first career double-double with a career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds at Charlotte on 3/28/15. The Bucknell alumnus has also appeared in 21 postseason contests.

Report: Hawks will trade Jeff Teague to Pacers

Report: Hawks trading Jeff Teague to Pacers

The Hawks have one point guard too many, and were expected to trade one this offseason. This is now materializing, with Jeff Teague reportedly being sent to the Pacers. Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting:

The Indiana Pacers have acquired Jeff Teague from the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team trade than sends George Hill to the Utah Jazz, the IndyStar has confirmed.

The rest of the deal has the Jazz sending their No. 12 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft to Atlanta, according to Yahoo reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, who first reported the trade.

And the Deseret News reports:

The move will give the Jazz a steadying influence at point guard while Dante Exum reacclimates himself to the NBA game after missing all of last season because of a torn ACL.

Tiago Splitter learning broadcast skills

Hawks center Tiago Splitter is still a basketball player, and focused on that, but has recently spent time gathering a side skill: broadcasting. A pretty good idea, since that’s one of the obvious job choices out there once their playing days end. Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution reporting:

Tiago Splitter is ahead of the game.

He already has a prime broadcasting job.

Still, the Hawks center spent last week getting a crash course in the new craft at Sportscaster U., a program sponsored by the NBA Players Association at Syracuse University. He will put what he learned to use when he calls basketball games during the 2016 Summer Olympics in his native Brazil in August.

Splitter had hoped to play in the Olympics but right hip surgery in February while playing his first season with the Hawks put an abrupt end to such dreams.

“I’ve thought about in in the past,” Splitter said of a possible broadcast career after his playing days are over.

Jeff Teague says he played hurt last season

Hawks point guard Jeff Teague averaged 15.7 ppg and 5.7 apg in 28.5 minutes per game last regular season, and in the playoffs put up 14.5 ppg and 6.1 apg in 27.9 minutes per game. And he did this apparently will playing through injury. Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution reporting:

Jeff Teague said he played last season with a “tear in my patella” according to a statement that the Hawks point guard posted on his Instagram account Thursday.

In the post – which was later deleted – Teague said: “They wont tell y’all but I played with a tear in my patella the whole year and could barely jump or stop but it’s coo got that taken care #illbebackdunking #theywontsaythatpart.”

Teague also posted on Twitter of his inability to play basketball this summer. He wrote: “First time in life I’ve never been able to hoop this long I’m getting frustrated.” The post has not been deleted.

Teague did not say whether he underwent surgery nor when the injury occurred.