Atlanta Hawks to fill roster with Ryan Kelly and Lamar Patterson, per report

In the aftermath of a trade deadline that included the acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova and the jettisoning of Mike Scott, the Atlanta Hawks entered Thursday evening with two open roster spots. However, that flexibility appears to be gone with haste, as Chris Vivlamore of the AJC reports that the Hawks will sign both Ryan Kelly and Lamar Patterson to contracts for the remainder of the 2016-2017 season.

Patterson and Kelly are, of course, familiar faces. Both players have been on the roster during this season, with Kelly appearing in nine games and Patterson playing in four games over the course of two 10-day contracts.

The obvious fit comes with Patterson, as the Hawks have been vocal about their desire for a third point guard option. While he is not a “pure” point guard in every sense, Patterson is capable of initiating the offense from that position in a pinch and he has long been an organizational favorite.

As for Kelly, the veteran big man from Duke provides depth in the frontcourt. While he isn’t likely to crack the rotation in short order, Kelly is a good fit in Atlanta’s offense based on his shooting ability and the Hawks were effusive in praising him during an early stint with the organization.

Stay tuned.