Ray Spalding waived by Atlanta Hawks

In late July, the Atlanta Hawks came to an agreement with 22-year-old big man Ray Spalding on an Exhibit 10 contract. That allowed the team to bring in the former Louisville standout for an extended look before the 2019-20 season but, after only one preseason game in which Spalding was absent due to injury, Atlanta elected to waive Spalding on Tuesday morning.

Spalding, a second-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, was employed by both the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns during the 2018-19 season, spending most of his first professional campaign with the Texas Legends in the G League. The combo big man averaged 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and appeared for nearly 900 minutes with the Legends, providing optimism that he could be a relatively intriguing NBA option.

However, the Hawks seemingly didn’t see what they needed to see in order to keep Spalding around through training camp. It should be noted that Atlanta does have a reputation for allowing players to exit in search of better opportunities but, with Spalding missing Monday’s opener with both dental pain and a left calf strain, he will now be on the market and looking for another NBA landing spot.

Lastly, the Hawks’ roster is down to 19 (including Exhibit 10 contracts and Two-Way players) and it will be interesting to see if Spalding ends up in College Park or if he is able to land an NBA deal elsewhere.

Stay tuned.