Atlanta Hawks Blog – Page 34 – NBA Blog

Hawks sign Edy Tavares

The Atlanta Hawks have signed center Walter “Edy” Tavares, it was announced yesterday by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

Tavares, a 7-foot-3, 260-pound center, was selected 43rd overall by the Hawks in the 2014 NBA Draft. The 23-year-old has played professionally in Spain for the past five seasons, most recently with Gran Canaria of the Spanish ACB league (2012-15). He averaged 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 22.1 minutes in 57 total games (.635 FG%, .653 FT%) during the 2014-15 ACB league season and Eurocup competition. Tavares led the ACB league in rebounds (274) and blocks (60) in the 2014-15 season. He was named to the 2014-15 All-Eurocup First Team, as well as being named weekly MVP twice. With Tavares starting at center, Gran Canaria went 22-1 in Eurocup play and reached the Eurocup final for the first time in club history.

“We followed Edy closely the past two seasons with Gran Canaria and are excited to officially have Edy as a member of our team. We would like to thank the coaches and executives of Gran Canaria as they played a significant role in Edy’s development and we look forward to continuing his improvement in our player development program,” Budenholzer said.

Prior to joining Gran Canaria full time, Tavares played for Gran Canaria’s youth team in the Spanish EBA league (2009-11) and Union Baloncesto La Palma of the LEB Silver league (2011-12).

Tavares was born in Maio, Sotovento, Cape Verde on March 22, 1992. He is the first Cape Verdean native to be drafted or sign a contract to play in the NBA.

He is currently participating as a member of the Hawks’ 2015 Las Vegas Summer League team and will wear uniform No. 22.

Hawks sign Justin Holiday

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has signed guard Justin Holiday to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

“Justin’s abilities on both ends of the court excited us as we looked to add depth on the wing,” Budenholzer said. “His combination of length and versatility with a great work ethic give him a chance to be a solid contributor on the court, and his experience on a championship team this past season and his high-character will be great positives for our locker room.”

A two-year NBA veteran, Holiday played in 59 games (four starting assignments) last season for the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, averaging 4.3 points and 1.2 rebounds in 11.1 minutes. He also saw action in five postseason contests.

In 2012-13, Holiday played nine games for Philadelphia, posting 4.7 points, 1.7 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 15.8 minutes. The 6-6 guard owns averages of 4.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.8 minutes in 68 career games.

Holiday, the brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, has also played professionally with Okapi Aalstar in Belgium (2011-12) and Szolnoki Olaj in Hungary (2013-14), as well as in the NBA D-League with Idaho (2012-13) and Santa Cruz (2014-15). He was named to the All-NBA D-League Third Team and the league’s All-Defensive Second Team with Idaho after averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.2 blocks in 34.7 minutes (.421 FG%, .412 3FG%, .816 FT%) in 47 games (42 starts). In his lone D-League appearance last year with Santa Cruz, Holiday recorded 26 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in 36 minutes.

A four-year letterman at the University of Washington (2007-11), Holiday appeared in 123 career games (56 starts) for the Huskies, averaging 5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists (.443 FG%, .343 3FG%, .736 FT%) in 19.6 minutes. He was named to the Pac-10 All-Defensive Team as a junior.

Holiday will wear uniform No. 7.

Hawks re-sign Paul Millsap

The Atlanta Hawks have re-signed forward Paul Millsap, President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said today.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, it is a three-year, $59 million contract.

Millsap, 30, led the Hawks in scoring (16.7), rebounding (7.8), steals (1.8) and double-doubles (15). He also averaged 3.1 assists while shooting .476 from the field and .356 from three-point range, connecting on a career-best 77 three-pointers. He was named an All-Star for the second consecutive season with Atlanta and was one of just two players last season (along with Sacramento Kings All-Star DeMarcus Cousins) to average at least 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals.

“Re-signing Paul was a priority for us. His toughness, versatility, high basketball IQ and unselfishness is representative of the culture we are building,” Budenholzer said. “We are excited that he will remain a part of our family.”

The 6-foot-8 forward signed his first contract with the Hawks on July 10, 2013 following seven seasons with the Utah Jazz. During his first season with the Hawks in 2013-14, he averaged a career-high 17.9 points on .461 shooting, 8.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks in 33.5 minutes per game in 74 games (73 starts). He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.

In his nine-year career, he has played in 687 games (411 starts) and has career averages of 13.5 points on .503 shooting and 7.3 rebounds.

Raptors sign DeMarre Carroll

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have signed free-agent forward DeMarre (Deh-MAHR-ay) Carroll to a multi-year contract. According to various reports, the deal is worth $60 million over four years.

“We are thrilled with not only the skills but the intangibles DeMarre will bring to our team,” said Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri. “He is a hard-nosed player who plays with passion and commitment on both ends of the floor.”

Carroll, 6-foot-8, 215 pounds, averaged a career-high 12.6 points, with 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 31.3 minutes in 70 contests (69 starts) last season with the Atlanta Hawks. He also posted career bests in field goal percentage (.487), three-point field goal percentage (.395), field goals made (318), three-point field goals made (120) and free throws made (127). He finished third in the NBA in steals-to-turnover ratio (1.25) and fourth in both two-point field goal percentage (.567, 198-349) and effective field goal percentage (.579).

Carroll, along with the four other starters on the Hawks, was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January. He averaged 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 31.5 minutes in 14 games. The Hawks posted the best calendar month in NBA history with a 17-0 record.

Carroll scored in double figures 55 times with a career-high 26 points (9-13 FG, 2-3 3FG, 6-6 FT) February 9 at Minnesota. He had 23 games with seven-or-more rebounds, including a career high-tying 12 rebounds March 18 at Golden State. He registered four steals on four occasions.

In the 2015 postseason, Carroll averaged 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 34.9 minutes in 16 outings (16 starts). He shot .403 (29-72) from three-point range. He scored 20-or-more points in seven contests, including a stretch of six consecutive games (April 25 – May 5). He recorded a career postseason high of 25 points (9-14 FG, 3-5 3FG, 4-5 FT) in Game 6 at Washington.

In 316 career regular season games (164 starts), Carroll has averaged 7.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 21.6 minutes. He has played with Memphis (2009-11), Houston (2010-11), Denver (2011-12), Utah (2011-13) and the Hawks (2013-15).

Carroll was drafted 27th overall by Memphis in the first-round of the 2009 NBA Draft. He split his college career between Vanderbilt and Missouri. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 38 games during his senior season at Missouri.

Spurs trade Tiago Splitter to Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has acquired forward/center Tiago Splitter from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for the draft rights to Georgios Printezis and a future second round pick, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

“We’re excited to bring Tiago to Atlanta. He’s played an important role in a winning environment, has a great understanding of our system and will add to our core character,” Budenholzer said. “Tiago also brings championship experience and we look forward to adding his interior presence to our team.”

Splitter, a 6-foot-11, 245-pound forward/center, spent his first five NBA seasons with the Spurs, averaging 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.8 minutes (.560 FG%, .690 FT%) in 311 games (151 starts). Last season, he averaged 8.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.8 minutes (.558 FG%, .750 FT%).

In 65 career postseason contests (40 starts), he has put up 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 19.2 minutes (.572 FG%). He won an NBA championship ring with San Antonio in 2014.

Splitter was originally selected in the first round (28th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Spurs. The native of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil played eight years in Spain (Basket Bilbao Berri, Tau Ceramica, Caja Laboral Vitoria) prior to his arrival in San Antonio.

Splitter will wear uniform No. 11.

Printezis, 6-9/240, currently plays for Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece. Last season, he appeared in 20 games and averaged a career-high 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 25.3 minutes. In his 12 seasons as a professional, the forward has appeared in 173 contests, averaging 9.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in 20.0 minutes.

Hawks waive Austin Daye

The Atlanta Hawks have requested waivers on forward Austin Daye, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

Daye signed consecutive 10-day contracts with Atlanta (March 15 and March 25) last season before signing a multi-year contract on April 4. He saw action in eight games with the Hawks, averaging 3.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 9.5 minutes per game.

Hawks, Justin Holiday agree to deal

Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution reporting that the Hawks are adding to their backcourt depth:

The Hawks reached a contract agreement with Justin Holiday Wednesday, according to several people familiar with the situation. The deal is for two years fully guaranteed.

The addition will give the Hawks needed depth at the wing following the loss of DeMarre Carroll to free agency last week.

Holiday, a 6-foot-6, 185-pound shooting guard/small forward, played last season for the Warriors. In 59 games, he averaged 4.3 points and 1.2 rebounds in 11.1 minutes. He also appeared in nine games for the 76ers in the 2012-13 season. Holiday has appeared in 68 career NBA games, including four starts, and averaged 4.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and .9 assists in 11.8 minutes.

DeMarre Carroll will sign with Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are about to get better, while the Hawks take a step backward. Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution blog reporting that a key member of the Hawks is leaving as a free agent and headed North to sign with the Toronto:

The Junkyard Dog is headed north.

DeMarre Carroll announced via social media that he will play for the Toronto Raptors.

Carroll tweeted: “#WeThe North I will be playing for Toronto Raptors next year!!!! I’m Blessed for this Opportunity!”

Carroll will sign a four-year, $60 million deal as an unrestricted free agent.

In an Eastern conference where second place — behind the Cleveland Cavaliers — is wide open for the taking, this is a full-priced but still very nice move for Toronto.

And here’s the Toronto Star on the Carroll/Raptors news:

Carroll, 28, was a key member of the 60-win Hawks team last season, primarily because of the level of toughness and defence he brought. While a solid scorer — he averaged 12.6 points per game in the regular season and more than 17 per game in the playoffs — the six-foot-eight forward’s reputation is as a defender.

Does he consider himself tough?

“If you see me in a fight with a bear, you’d better help that bear,” he famously said last season.

Carroll broke the news of his own signing on social media, putting a note on his Twitter account that included an Instagram photo of him and family members beaming next to Ujiri, Casey and Toronto executive vice-president Jeff Weltman.

Tim Hardaway Jr now with Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks acquired guard Tim Hardaway Jr. from the New York Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant, the 19th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Earlier in the draft, Atlanta selected Kansas forward Kelly Oubre with the 15th pick in the first round before dealing his draft rights to Washington for Grant’s draft rights and the Wizards’ second round selections in 2016 and 2019.

“(Tim) is a young two-guard who has shown the ability to make shots and be an effective player,” said Hawks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. “When we get him into our player development program, working with our coaches and around our players, we think he’s going to grow and prosper here.”

A two-year veteran, Hardaway has career averages of 10.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 23.5 minutes in 151 games (31 starts). He was originally selected by the Knicks 24th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft after playing collegiately at Michigan.

In the second round, Atlanta took guard Marcus Eriksson with the 50th pick and forward Dimitrios Agravanis with the 59th selection.

The 6’7 Eriksson has played four seasons in the Spanish ACB league with Barcelona and Manresa. He played one game for Barcelona in 2014-15 and in 33 contests with Manresa in the previous season, when he averaged 11.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 23.9 minutes. Eriksson was born on Dec. 5, 1993 in Sweden.

Agravanis, a 6’10 forward from Greece, has played professionally for five years in his home country with Olympiacos, Panionios and Maroussi. In 2014-15 with Olympiacos, he averaged 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 14.4 minutes. Agravanis was born on Dec. 20, 1994 in Athens.

Several NBA Draft-night Hawks trades

Several NBA Draft-night Hawks trades

Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution reporting on some Atlanta Hawks trades agreed to during the 2015 NBA Draft:

The Hawks made two draft-night trades – and ended up with NBA player Tim Hardaway Jr. Thursday night.

The Hawks made their No. 15 overall pick in the first round of Kelly Oubre. The freshman small forward from Kansas won’t play in Atlanta. The Hawks sent Oubre to the Wizards for the No. 19 pick and two future second-round picks.

Twenty minutes later the Wizards picked Jerian Grant for the Hawks, who sent the point guard from Notre Dame to the Knicks for Hardaway.