The Atlanta Hawks' pairing of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young resulted in disaster for the team last season, as they finished ten games below .500. Although they managed to qualify for the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed, they lost to the Chicago Bulls and ended their season. After trading Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason, the team looks to retool around Young and head coach Quin Snyder. Part of the Hawks' marginal deals is signing free agent forward Joey Hauser, who shot 43.8% from three in the G League, to an Exhibit 10 deal.
Hauser's contract is a one-year Exhibit 10 deal, according to Billy Reinhardt on X, formerly Twitter. This contract will allow Hauser to join training camp and compete for a roster spot on the Hawks.
Moreover, the sweet-shooting forward from Michigan State has played for the Pelicans in the 2024 Summer League, according to Brad Rowland on X. Last season, per the same report, the 25-year-old Hauser had also played in the Clippers affiliate in the G League as a rookie.
Where the Atlanta Hawks are going
After going all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, the Hawks have come back down to Earth, losing in the first round for two straight reasons. Despite Trae Young's consistency as a playoff performer, the team felt that they still needed to add quality pieces around him. It was a good idea to cover Young's defensive weakness, in retrospect, but adding another guard in Murray who needed the ball in his hands to play well wasn't the right move.
In 117 games with the Hawks, Murray averaged 20.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.2 rebounds, but he and Young failed to bring the team out of the first round. Moreover, their terrible last season together also put the two guards on the trading block, as the Hawks seemed ready to move on from both players.
For instance, Young would have wanted the Lakers or Spurs, however no deal materialized because of the All-Star guard's “chilly” trade market. With this move, the Hawks seem content to see what another season with Trae Young as the focal point looks like, especially after taking Zaccharie Risacher first overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. If this decision also backfires on the Hawks, though, maybe they'll go even further in trying to trade the dynamic point guard.
Signing Joey Hauser only fills the Hawks' needs on the margins, but they also hope his sharp-shooting will translate to the NBA level. Every team in the modern NBA puts a premium on three-point shooting and defense, and Hauser might have them covered on one front.
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