Lamar Patterson waived by Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks suddenly have a roster crunch, and the team reportedly took the first step in alleviating it on Tuesday afternoon. Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Hawks have parted ways with guard Lamar Patterson.

Patterson, who was a second round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft before debuting as an NBA rookie in 2015-2016, was the most obvious choice for the Hawks in cutting down on a roster that employed 17 players. The former Pittsburgh standout was on a non-guarantee contract for the 2016-2017 season, and with DeAndre Bembry and Taurean Prince added to the team’s wing rotation, Patterson seems to be the odd man out.

With the arrival of both Jarrett Jack and Kris Humphries in the past few days (the removal of Patterson’s cap hold also paves the way for Humphries), the Hawks will need to make an additional move prior to the start of the upcoming season. Mike Muscala faces a non-guaranteed contract even after Atlanta picked up his 2016-2017 team option, and the Hawks could also cut the roster via trade in the coming days.

For now, though, Lamar Patterson appears to be on the open market less than 12 months after beginning the 2015-2016 campaign in the rotation for the Atlanta Hawks. On the bright side for Patterson, though, this move occurring at an early stage shoudl allow him to audition for other NBA teams in search of a roster spot next season.

Stay tuned.