Marco Belinelli and Atlanta Hawks Reach Buyout Agreement

Marco Belinelli's time with the Hawks has come to an end.

Marco Belinelli (right) trying to dunk over Lucas Nogueira. Photo by Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock

Atlanta Hawks and shooting guard Marco Belinelli have finalized buyout agreement, which will make Belinelli a free agent and give him a chance to sign with another team. According to NBA’s official website, the Hawks requested waivers on the 31-year-old guard/forward.

The Hawks tried to work out a trade deal for Belinelli before the NBA trade deadline but didn’t succeed. Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder were previously mentioned as teams who might be interested in the player, and all three teams have an open roster spot available for free agents.

Although Belinelli isn’t the impactful player he used to be, the teams with the intention of making a deeper playoff run could benefit from his shooting ability. He played in 52 games for the Hawks this season, averaging 11.4 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.9 rebounds.

After starting his professional basketball career in Italy, Marco Belinelli entered the 2007 NBA draft where he was taken 18th overall by the Golden State Warriors. After two years with the Warriors, Belinelli played for the Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Hornets, and Chicago Bulls before signing with the Spurs in 2013. In San Antonio, he played some of the best basketball in his career, being an important bench player in the Spurs run for NBA Championship in 2014.

In 2015 he signed with the Sacramento Kings but stayed just one year before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets. In 2017, the Hornets sent Belinelli alongside center Miles Plumlee to the Hawks in exchange for Dwight Howard.

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