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NBA Rumors: Atlanta Hawks Expected To Sign Jarrett Jack, What Else Will They Do This Summer?

By Daniel Benjamin
Published on: 16:08 PST, Jul 10, 2016

The Atlanta Hawks went into the free agency period in need of a point guard, and they apparently found their man in Jarrett Jack.

Shams Charania of The Vertical recently tweeted that the Hawks and Jack have agreed to a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum.

Jack tweeted his excitement to return to Atlanta where he starred for Georgia Tech.

Jack was waived by the Brooklyn Nets after the team decided not to pick up his option year worth $6.3 million on June 30. The Nets would have been on the hook to Jack for $500,000, if he was not picked up by another team as that amount was guaranteed to the 32-year-old veteran.

Jack was having a good season before tearing his ACL and suffering a small tear in his meniscus that limited his campaign to 32 games. Prior to getting injured, he was averaging 12.8 points along with 7.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds. The 11-year veteran shot 39.1 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from beyond the arc last year. He also produced six double-doubles, though he finished with his worst shooting efficiency rating of his career (43.4 percent).

Jack is an excellent leader, who will likely to be tasked with mentoring Dennis Schroder. Jack has the ability to play both the point and the shooting guard positions. While Jack is a good distributor, he sometimes looks to shoot a little too much.

Jack is a career 44.0 percent shooter from the field, but he is not a real threat from beyond the arc, making less than one triple a game in his career and shooting 34.6 percent from long distance overall. He is an excellent free throw shooter. On the defensive end, Jack struggles guarding quicker point guards.

The Hawks were in need of point guard help after trading Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers as part of a three-team deal on June 22. Atlanta received the No. 12 pick in this year’s draft, which turned out to be small forward Taureen Prince, while George Hill went from Indiana to Utah.

Kevin Pelton of ESPN gave Atlanta a B-minus grade for the three-team trade, as the Hawks needed to make a decision between Teague and Schroder. Both Teague and Schroder were going into the final season of their contracts, so it was likely the Hawks would have to make a decision sometime. Atlanta also saved $6 million in cap space with the deal.

Schroder, who will turn 23 in September, will be called on to carry the load at point guard for the first time in his career. Schroder has improved in each of his first three seasons in the NBA, averaging 11.0 points along with 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 2015-16. He shot 42.1 percent from the floor, 32.2 percent from the three-point line, and 79.1 percent from the charity stripe.

Schroder is lightning quick and has a scoring mentality. He is slightly built, which hurts him defensively.

With the addition of Jack, Atlanta has now signed four free agents. The Hawks re-signed Kent Bazemore, signed Dwight Howard, and agreed to terms with Malcolm Delaney. They also drafted DeAndre Bembry with the No. 21 overall pick and Isaia Cordinier with the No. 44 selection.

All of this means that Atlanta has 14 players currently under contract, as it appears the Hawks will be on the hook to Mike Scott for $3.3 million. Scott’s contract for 2016-17 officially guaranteed Sunday. This does not include Prince, Bembry, or Cordinier as all three remain unsigned.

Atlanta does still have some flexibility, as Mike Muscalia’s $1.015 million contract doesn’t guarantee until January 10. Neither does Lamar Patterson’s $875,000 deal. Plus, Walter Taveras is scheduled to make just $1 million this season, and Delany is due only $543,471.

Bembry, Cordinier, Prince, Patterson and Taveras are all on the Hawks’ Las Vegas Summer League team. As is Bryce Cotton, Kevin Pangos, Matt Costello and veteran forward Malcolm Thomas.

Prince has not played in either one of the Hawks first two summer league games and is not expected to be available for the team’s third game on Monday, according to Peach Tree Hoops.

Atlanta improved to 2-0 with an 88-80 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. The Hawks drained 14 three-pointers in the victory over the Wizards.

Cotton, Pangos and Bembry has performed the best through the Hawks’ first two Las Vegas contests. Cotton, who has appeared in 23 NBA games over the last two seasons, knocked down 7-of-11 shots and scored 21 points against Washington on Sunday.

Bembry tallied 14 points, six boards, and four assists in his NBA debut on Friday. He scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds, and doled out seven dimes on Sunday.

Pangos, an undrafted rookie out of Gonzaga, is averaging 14 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He has drained 5-of-his-8 triples.

[Photo by Steve Dykes/AP]

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