Fifth-year swingman Wesley Iwundu is the third player to join the Atlanta Hawks in just the last week. The Hawks have gone from being lucky in their encounters with COVID relative to the rest of the league to just being part of the “rest of the league”. Both Nate McMillan and his son Jemelle missed a game after the latter tested positive.
However, it took more than two weeks for the first player, Trae Young, to test positive.
Things have gone rather downhill since that announcement came from Adrian Wojnarowski along with word that their matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers would be postponed.
The Hawks were already dealing with Young, Clint Capela, and Danilo Gallinari when it was reported that Low Williams and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot were in health and safety protocols.
That means more moves could be coming soon.
Wednesday’s opponent, the Orlando Magic (6-25) is dealing with its own COVID outbreak.
The Atlanta Hawks use hardship exemption to add intriguing wing Wesley Iwundu
Iwundu’s signing, first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, came just ahead of the announcement that the deals for previous hardship additions Lance Stephenson and Malcolm Hill were made official. All three players will play on 10-day contracts but could always sign another should the Hawks COVID issues persist.
A former second-round pick of the Magic, Iwundu brings many of the same qualities to the Atlanta Hawks as Luwawu-Cabarrot in a likewise similar package. The latter does hold a slight height advantage but both players have wingspans over 7-feet.
After three years in Orlando, Iwundu split last season between the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 2.4 points on 33.3 percent shooting and 2.2 rebounds per game.
He averages 4.3 points on 40.7 percent shooting and 2.4 boards for his career.
Iwundu struggled from deep last season, shooting just 12.2 percent from beyond the arc on the season, hitting just 13.0 percent with the Mavs and 11.1 percent with the Pels. For his career, Iwundu has knocked down his triples at a 28.6 percent clip. But he shot 36.7 percent and 34.1 percent from outside in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
He spent time this summer with the Charlotte Hornets in the preseason.
Who knows how long Iwundu will stick with the team, or even how much he’ll play while with them. But, as far as short-term, low-risk fliers go, Iwundu is a solid one at still just 27 years old.
He won’t play in this contest against the Magic but should be available against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. Atlanta should, however, get Bogdan Bogdanovic after he was listed as probable for the Cavs game and remains that way ahead of this tilt.