THE Atlanta Hawks‘ matching of Dejounte Murray And Trae Young Last season, the team was a disaster, finishing ten games below .500. Although they managed to qualify for the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed, they lost to the Chicago Bulls and ended their season. Murray traded to New Orleans Pelicans This offseason, the team is looking to reorganize around Young and head coach Quin Snyder. Part of the Hawks’ fringe deals is signing free agent forward Joey Hauser, who shot 43.8 percent from three-point range in the G League, to an Exhibit 10 contract.
Hauser’s contract is a one-year deal, according to Billy Reinhardt on X, formerly Twitter. The deal will allow Hauser to join training camp and compete for a spot on the list on the Hawks.
In addition, the gentle shot forward Michigan State’s Hauser played for the Pelicans in the 2024 Summer League, according to Brad Rowland of X. Last season, according to the same report, Hauser, 25, also played for the Clippers’ G League affiliate as a rookie.
Where are the Atlanta Hawks going?
After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, the Hawks came crashing down to earth, losing in the first round for back-to-back reasons. Despite Trae Young’s playoff consistency, the team felt they still needed to add quality players around him. In retrospect, it was a good idea to cover Young’s defensive weakness, but adding another guard in Murray who needed the ball in his hands to play well was not the right move.
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In 117 games with the Hawks, Murray averaged 20.4 points, 5.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds, but he and Young failed to advance the team out of the first round. Additionally, their terrible final season together also put both guards on the transfer list, as the Hawks appeared ready to part ways with both players.
For example, Young would have preferred the Lakers or the Spursbut no agreement was reached due to the Trade market ‘cold’ for All-Star guardWith this move, the Hawks seem content to see what another season with Trae Young as the focal point looks like, especially after taking Zaccharie Risacher into first position in the general classification in the 2024 NBA draft. But if that move backfires on the Hawks as well, perhaps they’ll go even further in their attempts to trade the dynamic point guard.
Signing Joey Hauser only addresses a few of the Hawks’ needs, but they’re also hoping his sharpshooting translates to the NBA level. Every team in the modern NBA places a premium on three-point shooting and defense, and Hauser could cover them well on one front.
