Atlanta Hawks strengthen their perimeter shooting with acquisition of Kyle Korver – NBA News
The Atlanta Hawks officially signed former Chicago Bulls small forward and shooting specialist Kyle Korver to their roster on Monday.
Korver was acquired in a trade with the Bulls that landed Chicago a trade exception and cash. He was a strong bench player in the Bulls roster, and averaged 8.1 points per game for them.
The reserve two guard was one of the people who made the Bulls bench one of the most productive in the league. Korver was particularly a potent threat from beyond the arc, and ranked 10th in the NBA with his 43.5% average
of three point field goals made.
“I appreciate the toughness and the competitive energy Kyle brings to the game every night, and we're very excited to add him to our team. Adding him makes shooting an even greater strength for our club,” said Hawks General Manager
Danny Ferry.
The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the most aggressive team in free agency this year. Another first round exit from the playoffs this year led to a roster overhaul, as the Hawks management was becoming impatient with the team’s
inability to make a deep run in the playoffs over the past few seasons.
The Hawks first traded Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets, freeing themselves of $89 million in salary. They also shopped Marvin Williams and the trade with the Nets brought in a list of players that the Hawks can use off the bench,
or make part of potential trades.
The Hawks also signed Lou Williams from the Philadelphia 76ers. Williams had a great season with the Philadelphia 76ers this past year, and is growing to become one of the premier players off the bench in the league.
Korver, the latest addition to the Hawks line-up, averaged at least 40% from the three point line in six of the 9 seasons he has played in the NBA so far. He set a record in the 2009-2010 NBA season when he shot 53.6% from the
three point line while playing for the Utah Jazz.
The Chicago Bulls, on the other hand, continue to shed bench players in the offseason, with Korver the latest to be removed from their line-up. They earlier let go C.J. Watson, and do not seem to be interested in matching the Houston
Rockets offer for backup centre Omer Asik.
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