The Atlanta Hawks are barely holding on to a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament as the 2023-24 season has not gone as planned. Knowing they won’t be contenders this season, they are giving one of their veteran players a chance to potentially compete for a ring.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Hawks have decided to waive veteran guard Patty Mills. Mills, who is on an expiring contract worth $6.8 million, will not be owed any money beyond this season by Atlanta.
This is a classy move by the Hawks to release Mills now. To be eligible for a postseason roster, he had to be waived before Friday. Not a part of Atlanta’s rotation, they are doing the right thing by their veteran and allowing him the chance to latch on with a playoff team.
Mills, in his 15th season in the NBA, hasn’t appeared in a game since February 7th. He has played in only 19 games this season and didn’t have too big of a role in the lineup even when Quin Synder was deploying him.
While his production is pedestrian, there is one thing Mills does well and that is shooting the ball. He is connecting on 38.2 percent of his 3-point attempts this season and is a 38.9 percent shooter in his career from behind the arc.
Several playoff teams would take someone with that shooting prowess at the end of their bench for spot minutes in a pinch. Mills also has plenty of playoff and championship experience from his time with the San Antonio Spurs earlier in his career.
Another reason the Hawks are moving on from Mills is so that they could open up a roster spot. That spot will be filled by Trent Forrest, a two-way player Atlanta is looking to convert to a standard NBA contract.
The 25-year-old Forrest, who played collegiately at Florida State, has been with the Hawks for the last two seasons after playing his first two years with the Utah Jazz. He has appeared in 20 games this season and could get a longer look for the remainder of the season with Trae Young sidelined by a fractured finger.
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