With the announcement of the Atlanta Hawks waiving Quinn Cook along with Jeremy Evans and Tyler Cavanaugh, the Hawks now have one roster spot open with the season fast approaching.
It’s safe to say that the preseason was less than friendly to Quinn Cook, who looked to be a great candidate to pick up the 15th roster spot after impressing many at the Las Vegas Summer League. He didn’t see a lot of playing time in a Hawks jersey, and was unable to secure the 3rd point guard spot behind Dennis Schroder and Malcolm Delaney.
Now Travis Schlenk has to make the decision whether to start the season a player short of the full 15 or try to fill the spot with an available free agent. This comes off the back of a quickfire trade with the Cavaliers that saw the Hawks pickup Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder, 2 future 2nd round picks, and $3 million in cash considerations.
UPDATE: We have acquired draft picks and cash considerations from the Cavs. More: https://t.co/pdwknEAPcY
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 14, 2017
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Jefferson and Felder were subsequently put on waivers and the Hawks came out as flexible as ever. It’s clear that even though Felder and Cook both excelled in the lower echelons of NBA play, the Hawks are looking for something more.
The Hawks three primary ball-handlers right now are Schroder, Delaney, and DeAndre’ Bembry, but it is likely that another guard should be added to the bench just in case. And hey, now they have a cool $3 million more to work with. So, what are their options?
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First on the shortlist is 10-year veteran, 33-year-old C.J. Watson. This makes sense for a couple of reasons. Watson is a very experienced guard that will help to guide the young guys and will can be a voice of reason on the bench. He might not be light’s out shooter that he was in his prime, but he can still get buckets and having savvy veteran on a one-year contract wouldn’t be awful business for the Hawks.
Next is shoot-first-pass-later Isaiah Canaan. At 26 years old, he’ll be looking to join his 4th team in 5 years, hoping to recapture some of his Philadelphia form. He can be a spark off the bench, but it will be a risk if the Hawks do decide to pick him up since his form has been anything but consistent as of late.
And then there is former Sacramento King, 29-year-old Ty Lawson. Obviously no longer in his youthful Denver form, he can still be a valuable addition to the bench rotation. Last season with Sacramento saw him post some personal bests since his time with the Nuggets and he will be eager to show that he can still ball given the opportunity. He can also serve as another veteran voice for the young guards over the next year.
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Basketball never sleeps, and with the season kicking off in two days, it will be full on. The final roster spot should not be a topic of worry for the Hawks as of now, but it provides for another interesting subplot to what will certainly be a season full of change for Atlanta.