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The Atlanta Hawks have cleared a roster spot by waiving forward Ryan Kelly according to a report by ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
The Hawks have waived Ryan Kelly, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 6, 2017
Two things worked against Kelly in this instance. One, Atlanta needed to clear a roster spot to complete the reported trade of Kyle Korver to Cleveland in exchange for a 2019 protected first-round pick along with Mike Dunleavy and Mo Williams. Atlanta also had until the end of the day on Saturday to waive Kelly or have his contract become fully guaranteed on January 10.
Kelly was cut in training camp by Atlanta but was brought back after Mike Scott underwent a knee procedure that sidelined him for the first month of the season. Kelly has played sparingly appearing in just nine games and playing a total of 47 minutes while averaging 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds. Kelly spent the first three years of his career with the Lakers where he appeared in 147 games.