Hawks Announce Signing Of Frank Kaminsky

The Hawks have officially signed center Frank Kaminsky, the team announced in a release.

Agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski the contract is for one year. The Athletic’s Chris Kirchner added it is for the veteran’s minimum.

Kaminsky, 29, is 7-foot-0 and spent the past three years with the Suns, becoming a regular in the rotation. But he was shut down with a stress reaction in his right knee after just nine games last season. The injury required surgery.

With the Hawks, he will join a nig man rotation that currently consists of Clint Capela, John Collins, Onyeka Okongwu, and Maurice Harkless.

Kaminsky was originally drafted by the Hornets with the No. 9 overall pick in 2015. He won the Wooden Award as a senior at Wisconsin.

“Kaminsky was actually looking pretty sharp for the Suns before injury struck. He’s a solid 7-footer that can space the floor and grab some rebounds,” wrote Jake Gordon of SportsTalkATL.com. “Kaminsky was also an improved defender in Phoenix. While he never lived up to the hype coming out of college, he’s still a very solid NBA role player who can give the Hawks quality minutes behind Clint Capela. I liked the Gorgui Dieng signing last year, and I think Kaminsky is an upgrade at this point. He should be able to create plenty of mismatches and can some threes.”

Per the Hawks press release:

Kaminsky joins the Hawks from the Phoenix Suns, where he saw action in nine games during the 2021-22 campaign, tallying 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20.1 minutes (.545 FG%, .333 3FG%, .900 FT%). In a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 10, the 7-0 center poured in a career-high 31 points on 12-18 shooting from the floor, in addition to seven rebounds, three assists and one block in 32 minutes. It was announced on Nov. 21, 2021, that Kaminsky would miss the remainder of the season due to a stress reaction in his right knee.

Drafted with the ninth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, Kaminsky has appeared in 377 games (49 starts) throughout his career, notching 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.0 minutes (.429 FG%, .348 3FG%, .743 FT%). He has also seen action in 17 postseason contests (five starts), including 10 appearances in the Suns’ run to the 2021 NBA Finals, averaging 4.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.2 minutes.

The seven-year NBA veteran has suited up for the Charlotte Hornets (2015-19) and Phoenix Suns (2019-22), posting 171 double digit scoring outings. Kaminsky played for Team USA in the 2017 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, netting a team-high 33 points on 12-16 shooting from the floor, including a 9-13 clip from three-point territory, in 20 minutes as a reserve.

The Lisle, Illinois native enjoyed a four-year career at Wisconsin, becoming the first player in Wisconsin history to win National Player of the Year (Wooden, Naismith, Oscar Robertson) and the 18^th consensus All-American in UW history. He appeared in 144 games (79 starts) as a Badger, averaging 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocks in 20.4 minutes (.522 FG%, .369 3FG%, .763 FT%). Kaminsky left Wisconsin as just the second player in program history to post 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks, setting the UW career blocks record with 153 rejections.