After nearly two seasons in Atlanta, power forward Ersan Ilyasova was officially waived by the Hawks this afternoon, according to the team.
ROSTER UPDATE: We have waived Ersan Ilyasova.
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 26, 2018
Ersan Ilyasova is one step closer to coming full circle after being traded to Atlanta in July 2017 by the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Tiago Splitter.
He made an immediate impact on the Hawks roster, coming off the bench and eventually picked up more minutes. He averaged 10 points and nearly 6 rebounds per game the rest of the 2016-17 season.
With the departure of Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard this offseason, Ilyasova was thrust into a major role on a young, up-and-coming Hawks team. In 46 games this season (40 starts), Ilyasova averaged 10.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 25.6 minutes (.459 FG%, .359 3FG%, .800 FT%).
For his career, (655 career contests, 405 starts), he’s put up 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.5 minutes (.443 FG%, .366 3FG%, .772 FT%).
Unable to move Ilyasova at the trade deadline, General Manager Travis Schlenk worked a buyout deal to allow Ersan to likely return to Philadelphia and join former Hawk Marco Belinelli, as reported by our colleague Christopher Kline at the Sixer Sense.
Ersan’s time in Atlanta was time well spent
Since his days in Milwaukee, Ilyasova has had to rent quite a few U-Hauls in the last couple of years, but his time in Atlanta was not a waste at all. He had 8 games of 20+ points in 2017-18, including a 26 point outing in a win over the Orlando Magic.
He was a veteran presence and a shooting threat from deep, as his 36% from 3PT range would attest. Ersan was also an 80% free throw shooter.
Defensively, he scored a 108 in defensive rating per 100 possesions during his time in Atlanta and 2.1 steals. He didn’t foul much either as he averaged only 2 fouls per game.
Ilyasova was honestly one of the most consistent players on the entire Hawks roster this season, as the team was lacking veteran depth and leadership, something he seemed to provide in a quiet way with his steady, error-free play.
Though he would sometimes flop in spectacular fashion in an attempt to draw an offensive foul call, when it worked, it really worked.
His time with the Hawks also helped to increase his value around the league. Once a complementary piece to trades for players such as Caron Butler, Tobias Harris, Serge Ibaka and Jerami Grant, Ersan increased his stock during his time in Atlanta — enough to draw interest from playoff teams looking to add a few vital pieces before the playoffs.
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With the news breaking that Ilyasova plans to return to Philadelphia, maybe they can go ahead and take down that “Complete the Process” billboard — they have their man.