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Atlanta Hawks: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter (22) and Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) fight for a rebound during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter (22) and Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) fight for a rebound during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Atlanta Hawks
Mar 27, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder (17) and forward Paul Millsap (4) cross the Atlanta Hawks logo in the first quarter of their game against the Miami Heat at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Welcome, Walter

In 2014, the Hawks selected Walter “Edy” Tavares with the 43rd overall pick. A 7’3″ center from Cape Verde, Tavares is a raw prospect with a massive 7’9″ wingspan. If you’ve never seen this behemoth play, that’s ok; just go watch King Kong, he’ll be the guy swatting at airplanes on top of the Empire State Building.

Seriously, though:

Tavares will be a work in progress, but with the departure of Pero Antic, the Hawks figured now was the best time to bring this 23-year-old giant to Atlanta.

Though he had trouble adjusting to the speed of the NBA game early on, Tavares averaged a respectable 7.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in six NBA Summer League games. Signing a monster frame like this to a three-year, $3 million deal has little downside other than waiving Austin Daye, which was going to happen anyway with Splitter and Millsap onboard.

Grade: B

Next: Other Signings

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