Mouhamed Gueye

Atlanta Hawks

Forward from Washington State was 39th Overall Pick in 2023 NBA Draft

ATLANTA&nbsp;– The Atlanta Hawks have signed rookie forward Mouhamed Gueye, the team announced today.&nbsp;Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.&nbsp;Atlanta acquired the draft rights to Gueye via trade with the Boston Celtics on June 28, 2023. The trade was agreed to in principle on June 22.

Gueye (pronounced mo-HAH-med Gay) saw action in 68 games (66 starts) during his two-year career at Washington State, registering 10.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 26.9 minutes (.489 FG%, .613 FT%). He became just the ninth Cougar to be drafted inside the top 40 and Washington State’s highest NBA Draft pick since Klay Thompson in 2011 (No. 11 overall by Golden State).

The 6-11 forward appeared in 33 games (all starts) during the 2022-23 season, notching 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 32.1 minutes, en route to an All-Pac-12 First Team selection (.488 FG%, .674 FT%). Gueye’s 8.4 rebounds per game were the fourth-most in the Pac-12, while his 14.3 points were the ninth-best in the conference. He tallied 15 double-doubles during the 2022-23 campaign, the most in the Pac-12 and the sixth-most in a single season in Washington State history.

Named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team in 2021-22, Gueye started in 33 of Washington State’s 35 games played in the 2021-22 season, tying Klay Thompson’s program record for most starts by a true freshman. The Dakar, Senegal native recorded 33 blocks during his freshman campaign (fourth-most in program history by a freshman), 181 steals (fifth-most by a freshman), and 29 steals (10th-most by a freshman).

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Atlanta Hawks Sign Rookie Forward Mouhamed Gueye

ATLANTA&nbsp;– The Atlanta Hawks selected Kobe Bufkin from the University of Michigan with the 15thpick in the 2023 NBA Draft and Seth Lundy from Penn State with the 46th&nbsp;pick on Thursday night. Atlanta has agreed in principle to acquire the draft rights to Mouhamed Gueye (the 39th&nbsp;player selected in the 2023 NBA Draft) from Boston in a trade to be finalized at a later date.

Bufkin appeared in 61 games (33 starts) throughout his two-year Wolverines career, averaging 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 23.3 minutes (.463 FG%, .325 3FG%, .833 FT%). Named to the 2023 All-Big Ten Third Team (media), the 6-4 guard saw action in 33 games (all starts) during his sophomore season, tallying 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 34.0 minutes of action (.482 FG%, .355 3FG%, .849 FT%). Bufkin netted 10-or-more points in 24 of his 33 games played during the 2022-23 campaign, including seven outings with at least 20 points. In a 68-51 win at Northwestern on Feb. 2, 2023, he notched a near triple-double, recording a career-high 12 rebounds and a career-high eight assists, to go along with 15 points, two steals and one block in 38 minutes.&nbsp;

“I’ve mentioned before about Hawks DNA. Hawks DNA is about being in love with this game and giving it your all and you’d be surprised about how many guys do that and how many don’t. But he’s a guy that there’s no doubt about it … That’s a guy that loves this game. He’s an unbelievable person,” said Hawks General Manager Landry Fields. “When we spoke with him in Chicago, that was another huge moment for me. He’s just very mature, the way he sees the game, the feel, the IQ, the confidence that he has as well. Just a very fluid type of player. He can play on ball and off ball and defends and that’s big for us as well.”

The Grand Rapids, Michigan native helped lead the Wolverines to back-to-back postseason appearances, reaching the Sweet 16 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament and the second round of the 2023 NIT. A four-star recruit out of Grand Rapids Christian High School, Bufkin was named a 2021 McDonald’s All-American.

Lundy played four seasons at Penn State, appearing in 122 games (96 starts), owning career averages of 10.5 points and 4.6 boards in 26.0 minutes (.412 FG%, .368 3FG%, .814 FT%). He finished his Penn State career ranking sixth all-time in school history in carer three-pointers (229), ninth in career free throw percentage (.814 FT%) and 20th&nbsp;in career points (1,283). Lundy became the 39th&nbsp;member of Penn State’s 1,000-career point club on Jan. 11, 2023, scoring his 1,000th&nbsp;in a win against Indiana.

"He was here for our last workout and he's a guy we monitored. He really caught our eye at the combine and has an elite skill in shooting. He plays with toughness and he came out here and lit it up in front of us. That's part of who he is. He's been doing that for a long time at Penn State,” said Fields. “He’s a guy where you can never have enough shooting and again, this is a character fit. These are guys that we want to build with that make it fun to build with, and guys that we know are going to maximize their potential."

A native of Paulsboro, New Jersey, Lundy earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (coaches and media) during the 2022-23 season, after averaging career highs in points (14.2), rebounds (6.3), field goal percentage (.450 FG%) and three-point field goal percentage (.400 3FG%). In four Big Ten Tournament contests, the 6-6 guard/forward tallied 17.0 points and 7.8 boards, earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

Gueye (pronounced mo-HAH-med Gay) saw action in 68 games (66 starts) during his two-year career at Washington State, registering 10.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 26.9 minutes (.489 FG%, .613 FT%). The 6-11 forward appeared in 33 games (all starts) during the 2022-23 season, notching 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 32.1 minutes, en route to an All-Pac-12 First Team selection (.488 FG%, .674 FT%). Gueye’s 8.4 rebounds per game were the fourth-most in the Pac-12, while his 14.3 points were the ninth-best in the conference. He tallied 15 double-doubles during the 2022-23 campaign, the most by any player in the Pac-12.

Named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team in 2021-22, Gueye started in 33 of Washington State’s 35 games played in the 2021-22 season, tying Klay Thompson’s program record for most starts by a true freshman. The Dakar, Senegal native recorded 33 blocks during his freshman campaign (fourth-most in program history by a freshman), 181 steals (fifth-most by a freshman) and 29 steals (10th-most by a freshman).

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Atlanta Hawks Select Kobe Bufkin with the No. 15 Pick, Seth Lundy with the No. 46 Pick, and Acquire the Draft Rights to Mouhamed Gueye in 2023 NBA Draft