Jarell Eddie couldn’t help himself.
He had to let out a scream.
The guard had just returned to his hotel room following an NBA Development League game in Fort Wayne, Indiana Tuesday when he got a call he’s been waiting on for a long time. The Hawks wanted to sign him to a 10-day contract and bring him to the NBA.
“I didn’t play particularly well,” Eddie said of his game for the Austin Spurs. “I get back and got the call and I couldn’t believe it. I really couldn’t believe it. I screamed in my hotel room for a little while and then I was in shock. It was beautiful. It’s a dream come true.”
The 6-foot-7 Eddie passed his physical with the Hawks and was officially signed Thursday. He practiced with the team and will be available for Friday’s game against the Cavaliers at Philips Arena. The 10-day contract will expire March 15. The Hawks can sign him to a second 10-day contract. After that, the team would have to sign him for the remainder of the season.
The Hawks have been keeping an eye on Eddie. He was in training camp with the team before being released. He caught on the Celtics for a short time before going to the D-League.
“He is a shooter with size,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think he has an NBA skill. We had him in camp and we talked to him about it. Now he’s just got to grow the rest of his game, develop the rest of his game. We’ll work with him and see how he does.”
Eddie appeared in 37 games for Austin. He averaged 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 25.6 minutes. Eddie won the D-League 3-Point Contest at last month’s All-Star weekend.
“You have to show people what you can do,” Eddie said of his professional start out of Virginia Tech. “The D-League was a great place to do it. I learned a lot and got better.”
Budenholzer said Eddie can help on the wing but there are areas he needs work.
“He has to improve significantly defensively and what it takes to compete on a high level. He has some skills and some abilities that excite us.”
That was, in essence, the message Budenholzer gave to Eddie upon his arrival back in Atlanta.
“He said work your tail off,” Eddie said. “He said work hard and bust your tail. He’s told me that twice now. He said ‘Great to have you back. Now bust your tail.’”
The Hawks had an open roster spot after trading first-round pick Adreian Payne to the Timberwolves last month.
In the short-term, Eddie would give the Hawks another option to help manage the minutes of current players on the roster for the stretch run of the regular season. Budenholzer has said of several occasions his big-picture goal is to have players as healthy as possible heading into the postseason. As an example, the Hawks sat three starters in a win over the Heat on Saturday. The Hawks also sat starters in back-to-back road wins against the 76ers and Celtics in January.
Eddie will wear No. 3.
