Mike Dunleavy Reports To Hawks, Passes Physical

3:07pm: Dunleavy has passed his physical, officially completing the deal between the Cavs and Hawks, tweets Vivlamore.

JANUARY 10, 12:45pm: Dunleavy has formally reported to the Hawks to undergo his physical, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

JANUARY 9, 2:41pm: After a conversation with head coach Mike Budenholzer about his potential role in Atlanta, Mike Dunleavy Jr. has “made peace” with joining his new team, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Dunleavy will report to the Hawks on Tuesday.

Dunlevay, who was a part of the trade between the Hawks and Cavaliers that sent Kyle Korver to Cleveland, had been reluctant to report to Atlanta, preferring to negotiate a buyout that would allow him to join a contending team of his choice. On Thursday and Friday, when the Hawks and Cavs were still finalizing the deal, there were reports that Atlanta was seeking a third team to take on Dunleavy, perhaps signaling to the veteran sharpshooter that the Hawks didn’t really want him.

However, after the trade was announced, Budenholzer spoke enthusiastically about the role he envisioned for Dunleavy in Atlanta, and according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), once the 36-year-old was convinced that Budenholzer and the Hawks wanted him, there was no more talk of a buyout. There is “significant respect” between Dunleavy and Budenholzer, per Wojnarowski.

Although the situation has been resolved for now, there’s no guarantee that Dunleavy will finish out the season in Atlanta. We’re still about a month and a half away from the trade deadline, and if Dunleavy plays well for his new team, it’s possible the Hawks will flip him to another contender. The Warriors and Rockets were among the clubs believed to be keeping an eye on the situation in case Dunleavy hit the open market.

In 23 games for the Cavs this season, Dunleavy averaged career-worst marks in PPG (4.6) and FG% (.400). His current contract will pay him a guaranteed $4.84MM salary this season, with a partial guarantee of $1.66MM on his 2017/18 salary ($5.18MM).

View Comments (10)