Atlanta Hawks agree to three-year deal with Thabo Sefolosha
The Atlanta Hawks and former Oklahoma City Thunder swingman Thabo Sefolosha have agreed to a three-year deal, according to Shams Charania on Twitter:
Free agent guard Thabo Sefolosha has reached agreement on a three-year, $12 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks, league source tells RealGM.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2014
The AJC’s Hawks beat reporter, Chris Vivlamore confirmed the news shortly after:
The Hawks have a agreed on a deal with Thabo Sefolosha. More to come. #ATLHawks
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) July 3, 2014
While the $12 million price tag might be a bit of an overpay for a guy that should get most of his minutes off of the bench, Sefolosha brings much-needed perimeter defense to Mike Budenholzer’s squad in addition to being an underappreciated shooter. This tweet from Grantland’s Zach Lowe sums it up nicely:
ATL needed wing depth, and Bud will free Thabo to let it fly from 3. Not far removed from 40% shooting. Prob safe to waive Salmons now, too
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 3, 2014
In 23.4 minutes per game with the Thunder last season, Sefolosha averaged 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 31.6 percent from behind the arc. For his career, he is a 34.8 percent 3-point shooter, and he should fit in well with Mike Budenholzer’s offense and give the Hawks something when Kyle Korver and/or DeMarre Carroll aren’t on the floor.