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After an up-and-down week in Las Vegas, Matt Costello has a home with the Atlanta Hawks... at least for the time being.
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported prior to Summer League that Costello would go the training camp with the Hawks, and recently, word broke that the former Michigan State big man has officially inked a contract.
@MattCostello10 makes it official with the @ATLHawks !! A more deserving player, would be hard to find! pic.twitter.com/Ld9D5COQd5
— G3 (@G3sports) July 17, 2016
For the sake of clarity, though, it appears that Costello’s two-year contract is non-guaranteed, with only $50,000 sure to end up in his pocket for his efforts at training camp in the Fall.
The Atlanta Hawks guaranteed $50k of Matt Costello's 2-yr minimum contract - 17 players on roster @BBallInsiders https://t.co/dK1rJrdfYW
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) July 18, 2016
Atlanta is facing a significant roster crunch, especially in the frontcourt. Earlier in the week, we took a deep dive into the depth chart, but the quick takeaway is that the Hawks currently employ seven players (Dwight Howard, Tiago Splitter, Edy Tavares, Kris Humphries, Mike Muscala, Paul Millsap, Mike Scott) who expressly occupy frontcourt positions, leaving Costello with a tall hill to climb to the make the roster. Beyond that, only Muscala faces a contract that is less than fully guaranteed, and the Hawks can enter the season with only 15 players on the roster.
Congratulations to Matt Costello, though, and he will have every opportunity to play his way on to the team. Even if the task is a significant one.