Kris Humphries Inks Deal With Atlanta Hawks; What’s Next?

After a short stay in Phoenix, Kris Humphries officially inks a deal with the Atlanta Hawks for the remainder of the season.

On Sunday afternoon, the Phoenix Suns waived veteran forward Kris Humphries, shortly after acquiring him just two weeks ago after his stint with the Washington Wizards. Upon news of his official release from Phoenix, multiple reports materialized that Humphries was close to a deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

On Tuesday evening, the move became official, which allowed the 31-year-old big man to sign before the midnight deadline for playoff eligibility.

So what does this signing mean for the Atlanta?

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The obvious effect is the ability for head coach and president of basketball operations Mike Budenholzer to now effectively mitigate the effects of losing his prized free agent signing from last off-season, center Tiago Splitter, to a season-ending hip injury.

While he is primarily a power forward, Humphries’ offense mirrors Splitter’s production on that end of the floor, which will be welcomed should the Hawks plan to make a run down the stretch and perform well in postseason play.

Atlanta Hawks

When the Hawks decided to keep their core of Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, and Al Horford at the trade deadline, the front office took a gamble that they would be able to salvage their mediocre season with a couple of under the radar acquisitions.

Through the signing of Humphries, Budenholzer and his basketball operations staff did just that, effectively replacing the injured Splitter for the remainder of the season with a cheaper, more efficient scoring option as a sixth or seventh man

Prior to his injury, Splitter was averaging 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 36 appearances this season. In 32 games combined with the Wizards and Suns, Kris Humphries is averaging 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds, a slight uptick in both categories that will undoubtedly fill the void that Splitter leaves offensively off of the bench.

While clearly just as capable as the currently injured alternative, the ultimate impact that Humphries will have depends on how he will fit into the existing crowded rotation of forwards, from Paul Millsap and Horford, to Mike Muscala and Mike Scott.

However, given the ups and downs of the latter duo this season, don’t sleep on Humphries coming into the situation in Atlanta and emerging into a formidable difference-maker off the bench.

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With a short-term, low cost scenario, the signing is worth the gamble, and should only improve the Hawks moving through the home stretch of the season, and on into the playoffs.