Hawks select St. Joseph's wing player DeAndre Bembry
ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Hawks added a wing player who they hope can contribute at more than one position by selecting St. Joseph's DeAndre Bembry with the No. 21 overall pick of the NBA draft on Thursday night.
Bembry (6-5, 206) averaged 17.4 points and 7.8 rebounds as a junior last season and was named the Atlantic 10 player of the year. He gives the Hawks an alternative to Kyle Korver or free agent Kent Bazemore at the wing positions.
Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox said Bembry is an excellent passer who needs to work on his shooting.
"We think he has the potential to be a play-maker," Wilcox said. "... In our system, he has a chance to play a lot of spots."
Bembry was Atlanta's first official pick, though small forward Taurean Prince, taken by Utah with the No. 12 pick, will belong to the Hawks when Wednesday's three-team trade becomes official. The Hawks sent point guard Jeff Teague to Indiana, which sent point guard George Hill to Utah. The Hawks received Utah's No. 12 overall pick, though the deal cannot be announced officially before the free-agent moratorium ends on July 7.
Wilcox fielded no questions and had no comment on Prince.
Prince (6-7, 220) is a strong defender and shooter who has been compared with former Hawks small forward DeMarre Carroll. Prince will provide insurance at the position if Atlanta does not re-sign this season's starter, Kent Bazemore.
Prince averaged 15.9 points and 6.1 rebounds last season.
The Hawks created roster and financial flexibility with Wednesday's trade.
The deal opened the way for Dennis Schroder to start at point guard. It also enabled the Hawks to have more financial room to negotiate with free agents, including two Atlanta starters - center Al Horford and Bazemore. Before trading Teague, it may have been difficult for the Hawks to consider re-signing both players.
Perhaps the first indications a change at point guard was coming came when Teague sat out the fourth quarters of losses to Cleveland in Games 2 and 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cavaliers ended the Hawks' season with a four-game sweep for the second straight postseason.
Teague, the No. 19 overall pick in the 2009 draft, was Atlanta's answer to the team's long-running search for a floor leader. He became the team's full-time starter in the 2011-12 season. He joined Horford, Josh Smith and others as the leaders of a rebuilding project that peaked with the franchise's first appearance in the Eastern Conference finals in 2015, when he was an All-Star reserve.
Teague has averaged 12.1 points and 5.2 assists in his career, including 15.7 and 5.9 this season.
Schroder, 22, averaged 11 points and 4.4 assists in only 20.3 minutes per game this season. He showed his potential for greater production when he flashed his speed in the up-tempo offense coach Mike Budenholzer prefers. He still played out of control at times, however, while averaging 2.3 turnovers.
Schroder celebrated the opportunity on his Twitter feed on Thursday. He posted a photo of himself with Budenholzer and tweeted in all caps "Can't describe this feeling!! I earned coach trust & I really appreciate that oppurtunity!!!"