The Golden State Warriors have reportedly traded for Atlanta Hawks big man Omari Spellman according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Atlanta will acquire Damian Jones and a second-round draft selection, according to the report.
Golden State is sending Damian Jones and a second-round pick to the Hawks for Spellman, league sources said. https://t.co/zESgVz2YKq
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2019
Spellman, a rookie last season, was selected with the last pick in the first round of the NBA Draft. He averaged 5.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on the feisty Hawks. Despite having a decent season in Atlanta, change was apparently needed. One of those reasons for change appears to be because Spellman is dealing with getting into game shape.
Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports that Spellman is still “far” away from his weight goal, and that the 6-foot-9 power forward was 293 pounds last season. Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce, via Kirschner, says the Hawks were aware of Spellman trying to lose weight.
“Being in shape in the summer is hard,” Pierce said via Kirschner. “He’s coming off an injury, so a lot of what we’re doing is making sure he’s coming back the right way. He’s in the gym every day. Not everyone is going to lose weight because they’re in the gym. Not everyone is going to be in great condition. He’s been in the gym every day, but he hasn’t been playing basketball. Basketball shape is different than weight room shape.”
The injury that Pierce mentions is an ankle sprain that kept Spellman to just 46 games last season. He also dealt with a hip injury and as a result spent some time in the G League. Now, on a gutted Golden State Warriors team, Omari Spellman may become more of a household name.
The seven-foot Damian Jones heads to Atlanta trying to crack the rotation as a depth big man. He was also the 30th pick, just in the 2016 NBA Draft. Jones averaged 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds last season for the Western Conference champion Warriors.