Atlanta Hawks Waive Center Deyonta Davis Ahead of Draft

A quick recap of the news that Atlanta Hawks center Deyonta Davis will not be returning to the team next season.

The Atlanta Hawks announced on Monday that short-term backup center Deyonta Davis had been waived ahead of the 2019 NBA Draft.

Davis only played 9 games with the Hawks last season, logging only 13.1 minutes per game with 4 points per game, 4 rebounds per game, 0.6 assists per game and 0.6 blocks per game in that time per Basketball Reference.

Though he only played a total of 118 minutes with the Atlanta Hawks, Davis actually led the team in field goal percentage and true shooting percentage at a lofty 68.2 percent. Why were those numbers identical you ask? Well, it’s because Davis was really only a threat to score right around the rim during his short stint in Atlanta.

95.5 percent of Davis’s shots came from two-point range, and he only attempted one three-pointer during his time in Atlanta. Though he flashed defensive promise (a 3.7% block rate looked good) and his athleticism was impressive, he simply did not fit the archetype that Atlanta Hawks GM Travis Schlenk is looking for at the center position, especially not with John Collins as a long-term building block.

Now, what’s more interesting about the Davis waiving is that the Atlanta Hawks now only have 10 roster spots filled. If they were to waive Jaylen Adams (who only has $100,000 in guaranteed money on his contract per Spotrac), they would be down to 9. Why does that matter?

Because the Atlanta Hawks hold a whopping 6 draft picks in the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft. That means they would be able to bring in all six rookies onto the team immediately to provide them valuable experience with the team’s young core.

Of course, GM Schlenk has already said that the team won’t add five rookies to the roster this offseason (let alone six), so expect some G-League machinations or draft-and-stash scenarios as well as the signing of various free agents.

Still though, this move augurs an extremely active and entertaining offseason for Schlenk and the Atlanta Hawks going forward.