ATLANTA, GA -- The Atlanta Hawks made an expiremental pick of Cape Verdean center Walter Tavares with the 43rd pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and now Tavares has committed to play with the team starting in 2015-2016.
Tavares' new contract is reportedly a multi-year agreement. The man who stands at 7'3" with a 7'9" wingspan will look to be the backup to Hawks centers Al Horford and Tiago Splitter. It is also likely that Tavares will be sent down for an NBA D-League stint.
Right now, the big man slots in Atlanta are becoming packed. Al Horford is a 4-5 hybrid, Paul Millsap is a 4, and Tiago Splitter is a 5. So Splitter, for whom the Hawks and GM Wes Wilcox just traded, will most likely play a sixth man role for the Hawks, while Mike Scott and Mike Muscala are still hanging around as energy-providing reserve players.
Last playing for Canary Islands club CB Gran Canaria, Tavares will look to prove the value of his abnormally and excpetionally long body. He committed to playing for CB Gran Canaria in 2014-2015 despite his selection by the Hawks, but now is poised at an NBA run. In just a few days, he'll get a shot to raise eyes when the NBA Summer League of 2015 kicks off.
Had Tiago Splitter not been part of the conversation for Atlanta, this move would have made sense, as Tavares would perfectly replace Pero Antic. But due to Wilcox's acquisition of the former San Antonio big man, it is more than likely that this was a draft-and-stash move that will either pan out to be a genius move or will provide the Hawks with slightly more trade bait.
Tavares also plays internationally for Cape Verde. The Hawks will look to test out his different uses in every area of the game starting this offseason and throughout the 2015-2016 campaign.