A quick look at the recent news regarding the Atlanta Hawks signing Deyonta Davis.
The Atlanta Hawks recently announced in a press release that the team has signed Deyonta Davis to a multi-year deal. Davis had signed two consecutive 10-Day Contracts and the second was set to expire on April 8, when this news was announced.
Davis’s deal, per Spotrac, is a 2-year pact worth $1.6 million but the entire second year is non-guaranteed. This means that while it is likely that Davis will be on the team during Summer League, it seems unrealistic to believe that he will remain with the Atlanta Hawks any longer than that.
Of course, everything depends upon what the Hawks do in the draft (as well as what pick they get awarded in the lottery) and in free agency, where the team will likely be major players with massive amounts of cap space this year.
Even still, the signing of Davis makes sense – even if it is for just one more game. Here’s why:
Young & Excellent Athlete
Davis is clearly a brilliant athlete. One need only take a gander at some of his blocks and dunks during his brief tenure with the Hawks to see that Davis is definitely a world-class athlete.
Though he carries himself with the same stoicism that Kawhi Leonard plays with, Davis has looked quite good so far with the Hawks. At only 22 years old, the Hawks made the right choice in taking a swing on him with a late-season deal.
Relationship with Vince
The signing of Davis might mean that Vince Carter is sticking around another year, as we’ve already requested. According to a 2017 story from Bleacher Report, Vince let Davis stay with him in his rookie season of 2017 when they were both members of the Memphis Grizzlies. If both Davis and Vince stay next year, this writer would be happy.
Another DD at Center
With Dewayne Dedmon likely on the way out this season via free agency, the Atlanta Hawks have a hole at center that needs to be filled. Perhaps the team will make moves this offseason to make it happen, but as for now, the signing of Davis means Atlanta has another “DD” at the five to end the year.
This is exactly the kind of move that a rebuilding team needed to make, and it’s good to see GM Travis Schlenk sign an athletic 22-year-old big man right before the end of the season into next year.