The Atlanta Hawks didn't worry about bringing the 2024 No. 43 overall pick to the NBA in his first year in their organization.
But heading into year two, they've given Nikola Djurisic an NBA contract.
NBA reporter Michael Scotto reports that Djurisic gets a three-year deal for $5.95 million, with the first year guaranteed.
Djurisic, out of Serbia, spent last season playing in the G League for the College Park Skyhawks. He averaged 10.5 points, 3.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.
The 6-foot-8 wing struggled from beyond the arc at just 17.8%, which could be a concern.
Atlanta made the move in part because of its current roster construction.
"Hawks had three roster spots and didn’t have room for three minimum deals without going into tax so the using this exception might point to them carrying the full 15 players to enter the season," Hawks reporter Kevin Chouinard wrote on X.
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Essentially, because Djurisic's contract is a draftee deal, it's even cheaper than a veteran minimum contract.
Djurisic still might spend a lot of time in the G League this season. He seems to still have plenty of work to do on his game.
But this is at least the next step for him and the Hawks to figure out what his NBA future might look like.
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