NBA teams can have up to 15 players on their roster at one time. In each of the three seasons under the current Atlanta Hawks front office, a player who didn’t start the season with the team ended up on the roster because of a roster spot created by management. In 2012-13, both Shelvin Mack and Dahntay Jones got an opportunity to join the team. In 2013-14 it was Cartier Martin, and this season Austin Daye benefitted.
Daye received the maximum two 10-day contracts before agreeing to a multi-year deal with the team. The Hawks had a roster spot open following the Adreian Payne trade, and Daye fit in nicely with his ability to spread the floor. Head Coach Mike Budenholzer likes long players who can stretch defenses, and Daye certainly fits that mold.
Daye also benefitted from playing with the San Antonio Spurs both this season and last. San Antonio plays a similar style, so the Hawks knew Daye would be ahead of the game in terms of learning offensive and defensive concepts. He appeared in 38 games total with the Spurs in two seasons.
Atlanta has Daye signed next season, so he’ll get an opportunity to prove himself and try to crack the rotation. He’s a career 35.1% three-point shooter and shot a touch better than that during 8 games with the Hawks. It’ll be an uphill battle for him with the likes of Mike Muscala and Mike Scott ahead of him on the depth chart, but Daye has a skill set that fits well with what the Hawks do, which makes him valuable off the bench.