Report: Atlanta Hawks Acquire Ersan Ilyasova
The Atlanta Hawks have made their first move of trade deadline week. Was it the right move?
After a week of limited rumors concerning the Atlanta Hawks and their trade deadline plans, the team has finally made a move. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Hawks have acquired Ersan Ilyasova from the Philadelphia 76ers for Tiago Splitter, one second-round pick, and a second-round pick swap.
Sixers are finalizing a trade to Ersan Ilyasova to Atlanta for Tiago Splitter and two second-round picks, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2017
Source: Atlanta's sending a 2017 second-round pick (via Miami) in the Sixers trade. Hawks/Sixers swapping other 2017 second-rounders.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2017
The move comes as a bit of a surprise. The only player Atlanta had been linked to this week was Phoenix Suns wing P.J. Tucker. Ilyasova definitely fills a need, coming in to serve as a scorer off the bench. Atlanta’s struggling offense can using all the scoring it can get. If there’s one thing Ilyasova can do it’s score.
The 6-foot-10 forward is a native of Turkey and has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers this season. In Philly, he’s averaged 14.8 points per game on 44 percent shooting and 35.9 percent from three-point range. For his career, he’s a 36.7 percent shooter from behind the arc.
After starting his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, Ilyasova has been on five teams in less than two years (counting the Hawks). KL Chouinard’s tweet below shows all the places the journey has taken him in such a short time.
Ersan Ilyasova spent close to a decade in Milwaukee before going to five other teams in a span of 20 months. pic.twitter.com/qRAje4sYmq
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) February 23, 2017
Ilyasova should slot into the second unit as the backup power forward, knocking Kris Humphries from the rotation. If paired with Mike Muscala, he would give the Hawks two big men that can stretch the floor on their bench unit. It’s not a flashy move, but it’s something that should have a positive impact on Atlanta’s offense.
Ilyasova will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, so this isn’t a move that will hurt them financially. The Hawks filled a need and they did so without giving up any significant assets. I’d consider that a win for the franchise and a win for fans.
This trade signals the end of the Tiago Splitter era in Atlanta. It’s an era that was tainted by injuries. Splitter played only 36 games as a Hawk after being acquired from the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2015. All 36 games came during the 2015-16 season. In that season, he averaged 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game on 52.3 percent shooting. Splitter has yet to play this season.
Are the Hawks finished after this move, or do they have something left to acquire? Stay tuned to Soaring Down South to find out what the Hawks do next.