The Hawks on Monday officially announced the signing of Gorgui Dieng, who figures to fill a void at backup center behind Clint Capela, with rookie Onyeka Okongwu out injured for six months.
His addition gives the Hawks a much-needed size boost. Dieng (6-foot-10) will be on a one-year, $4 million deal, according to a person familiar with the situation, though the team didn’t disclose terms of his contract.
“With the signing of Gorgui, we’ve added more size and depth to our frontcourt rotation. He’s an experienced big with length who can space the floor and defend,” Hawks GM Travis Schlenk said.
Dieng played in 38 games (one start) with Memphis and San Antonio last season, averaging 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 14.5 minutes per game, shooting a career-best 42.9% from 3-point range.
With the Hawks’ performance in the playoffs last season, winning two series and two games in the Eastern Conference finals, Dieng thinks Atlanta can go far again this year.
“They made a playoff run last season and that shows what they’re capable of,” Dieng said. “I think they struggled early in the season and then they came back really strong ... I think at this point now, they see what they’re capable of doing and I think if we have the same mindset from the get-go, that can take us really far.”
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