The Hawks were minor players at the NBA trade deadline on Thursday as they made two small deals.
The Hawks sent guard Tyler Dorsey to the Grizzlies in the biggest of the deals. They acquired former Hawk Shelvin Mack in the deal but will waive the guard, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The Hawks also obtained Jabari Bird and cash from the Celtics. The Hawks plan to waive the shooting guard as well, according to a person familiar with the situation.
In making the deals, the Hawks waived Daniel Hamilton to clear a necessary roster spot after a technical error.
The Hawks announced the deals, minus the waivers of Mack and Bird, late Thursday night.
Dorsey was a second-round pick, No. 41 overall, in the 2017 draft and has played sparingly in his two seasons. Dorsey averaged 7.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 17.4 minutes in 56 games as a rookie. He has appeared in 27 games this season and averaged 3.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 9.3 minutes.
The deal gives Dorsey a chance to play as he was not in the Hawks rotation and will become a free agent after the season.
Dorsey posted a message on social media Thursday: “I want to start off by showing my gratitude toward the @atlhawks for helping me turn my dreams into reality. My time in Atlanta has been nothing short of amazing. I’ve had amazing teammates, a super supportive coach and training staff. Lastly, the fans that come out each and every night, thank you. ATL will forever be in my heart.”
Mack played for the Hawks for two full seasons, from 2013-15. He joined the team at the end of the 2012-13 season after signing a deal following two 10-day contracts.
The Celtics had plans to move Bird, who faces two domestic violence charges after allegedly choked and threatened to kill his girlfriend in September. He took a leave of absence from the team and has appeared in just 13 games this season. Bird signed a two-year deal with the Celtics in the offseason prior to the incident.
The Hawks spoke to many teams leading up the trade deadline. Jeremy Lin and Dewayne Dedmon were the most rumored players to be on the move. In the end, a suitable deal for the Hawks could not be finalized.
The Hawks have no plans to buy out the veterans. Dedmon has a sizable obtainable contract incentive and will likely remain with the team.
General manager Travis Schlenk told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution prior to the deadline that he was interested in moving players only to secure future salary cap space and draft picks. He was also adamant that he would not take on contract money without what he considered proper compensation.
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