Welcome back, Vit!
To this point, there has only been one significant transaction involving the Hawks this offseason: the swapping of Dejounte Murray for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., E.J. Liddell, and Cody Zeller. However, other minor moves have been made elsewhere.
Earlier in June, the team opted to retain Garrison Mathews by picking up his team option for 2024-25. His salary this season is still unguaranteed, but he’ll get paid a prorated $2.2 million for as long as he is on the roster up to a guarantee date next January. Also, on the second day of the 2024 NBA Draft, the team parted with AJ Griffin for a pick that became Nikola Djurisic, who has since joined the 2024 Atlanta Hawks Summer League team in Las Vegas.
However, today a number of bits of news broke. Restricted free agent Vit Krejci and the Hawks agreed on a four-year, $10 million contract per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Free agent guard Vit Krejci has agreed on a four-year, $10 million deal to return to the Atlanta Hawks, his agents Alex Saratsis and Phillip Parun of @octagonBsktball tell ESPN. At 24, Krejci has been a player development success story for Quin Snyder, Landry Fields and Hawks. pic.twitter.com/xGm90reFTQ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 10, 2024
Krejci returned to the Hawks on a two-way contract in 2023-24 after parting ways that offseason. After ramping up with the College Park Skyhawks, Krejci filled a solid role for the Hawks as a glue guy with improved shooting and defense after a rash of team injuries. While his per game averages of 6.1 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game are modest, his ball movement and three-point shooting (41%) helped the Hawks steady the ship and make the Play-In Tournament.
The final bit of business would be deciding on the fate of Bruno Fernando, who is due $2.7 million on an unguaranteed contract this season. He and the Hawks agreed to push back a June date into July, and today the time to decide on his contract had arrived.
…or at least that what was to be expected. With the Hawks currently responsible for the salaries of four other centers on the roster, the team and Fernando’s camp once again agreed to push the date back into August per Brad Rowland of the Locked on Hawks podcast.
Update: Bruno Fernando’s guarantee date has moved (again) to August 1.
June 29 was the original date.
Moved to today.
Now moved again after the two sides mutually agreed. https://t.co/o9bOCUwB1X
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) July 10, 2024
The Hawks also filled out their Summer League roster with two more players to bring that total to 15. E.J. Liddell, the third-year forward recently acquired by Atlanta, will suit up as will Makhtar Gueye (no relation to Mouhamed), a Senegalese big man who has played overseas for a couple of years after going undrafted out of UAB in 2022.
The full summer league roster and coaching staff as it stands, per the Atlanta Hawks:
Atlanta Hawks