After a relatively quiet first day of free agency, the Hawks continued to bolster their backcourt Friday. The team signed guard Aaron Holiday to a one-year deal, people with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the AJC.
The Hawks signed the 6-foot guard to the veteran minimum. The signing was reported first by The Athletic.
Holiday comes to Atlanta after a short stint in Phoenix following a trade from Washington. He became a free agent after the Suns opted not to pick up his qualifying offer.
With the Suns, Holiday averaged 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 22 appearances. He shot 41.1% from the floor and knocked down 44.4% of his 3-pointers.
He likely will look to carve out a solid place in the rotation after his previous landing spots saw his playing time diminish after injured starters returned. In Indiana, he had Victor Oladipo, Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell to contend with. In Phoenix, there was Chris Paul and Cameron Payne.
The youngest of three brothers, who all have NBA experience, Holiday is set to enter his fifth season in the league. He brings plenty of defense, much like his brothers Jrue (Bucks) and Justin (Kings), a former Hawk.
He has a solid motor and plays with intensity on defense. He also has the strength and quickness to stay in front of both point guards and shooting guards. In addition, he has shown good court awareness on defense and could continue to help the Hawks fine-tune their defensive identity.
Holiday was selected with pick No. 23 by the Pacers out UCLA in 2018. The 25-year-old guard will now reunite with former Pacers and now Hawks coach Nate McMillan.
He’ll provide the Hawks with another backup point guard that can push the pace, as well as penetrate and beat opponents off the dribble. Holiday can finish with at the rim with both hands and can finish through contact. Holiday also has a solid read of the game and has been noted to be an unselfish player. So the Hawks could benefit from his ability to attack the paint before kicking out to one of his teammates.
He’s a strong shooter too, having made 37.3% of his baskets from beyond the arc. Thus, the Hawks have added a versatile player in the mix that could maintain the rhythm of the game when Trae Young or Dejounte Murray are not on the floor. He would also provide the Hawks with another scorer should defenses shut down either starting guard.
