E.J. Liddell making case for chance at Hawks roster spot in Summer League

Game 3 of the Atlanta Hawks NBA 2k25 Summer League slate is set for July 17 with a tilt against the Los Angeles Lakers. Keep an eye on 2022 second-round pick E.J. Lindell – who was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans in the Dejounte Murray trade – when the Hawks take the floor. 

Lidell acquitted himself well in the Hawks’ last outing, a 79-76 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on July 14.  The 6-foot-7 forward had 22 points, five rebounds, and four blocks in the contest. 

He spoke candidly about his game afterward.

“[I’m] a dog. I'm going to get it done on both ends. I'm just going to go out there and affect winning as much as possible,” Liddell told reporters on July 15. “I know a lot of y’all probably haven’t seen me in college, but I led the Big 10 in blocks so that ain’t nothing new to me.

“I’m a rim protector, even though I’m not the tallest guy, but I’m always gonna be there.”

He seems destined to spend most of the 2024-25 season with the College Park Skyhawks in the G League. But proving his performance against San Antonio was legit would be a boon for the Hawks.

Atlanta lost forward Saddiq Bey to the Washington Wizards in free agency. 

Bey is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in March. The Hawks opted against extending a qualifying offer to Bey, letting him hit unrestricted free agency rather than make him a restricted free agent. 

The latter route would have put and $8.3 million salary cap hit on the Hawks’ books for 2023-24.

It would have given the Hawks draft capital if Bey signed an offer sheet with another team. The Hawks opted for the additional flexibility. 

E.J. Liddell could prove to be value addition for Hawks

Liddell is entering Year 2 of a three-year, $6.2 million contract. He has a $2.1 million cap charge for 2024-25 and a $2.3 million club option for the 2025-26 season. Liddell was the No. 41 overall pick in 2022. 

He suffered a torn ACL in his first Summer League game, missing his entire rookie season. 

He averaged fewer than three minutes per game with the Pelicans, logging eight appearances in 2023-24.

He had three appearances with their G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron. That makes Liddell an even greater unknown at the NBA level than his age – he turns 24 years old in December would otherwise suggest. 

Liddell did draw first-round projections pre-draft in 2022.

The Hawks are deep in the frontcourt with Jalen Johnson starting and another former Pelican in Larry Nance Jr. presumably backing him up.

Onyeka Okongwu could factor into the rotation at that spot in addition to his duties behind starting center Clint Capela. Cody Zeller and Bruno Fernando’s presences further complicate matters for Liddell when it comes to a spot on the main roster let alone minutes in the rotation. 

Bey started 51 games for the Hawks in 2023-24. 

If Liddell does that, something either went awry for the Hawks or he broke out. He could still prove to be more than a throw-in in the Hawks’ blockbuster offseason trade.