Warriors deal Jones to Hawks for Spellman
The Warriors traded center Damian Jones and a future secondround pick to the Hawks for big man Omari Spellman, a league source confirmed with The Chronicle.
By dealing Jones ($2.3 million next season) for Spellman ($1.9 million), Golden State dipped roughly $400,000 more under a hard cap just shy of $139 million. That hard cap came into effect when it acquired D’Angelo Russell in a recent sign-and-trade deal with the Nets.
This move wasn’t just financial for the Warriors, however. Although Spellman might not be as physically gifted as Jones, he is already more polished despite being only 21 — three years Jones’ junior. The No. 30 pick in the 2018 draft, Spellman averaged 5.9 points and 4.2 rebounds as a rookie for the Hawks last season.
Meanwhile, Jones has yet to prove he can be a reliable NBA player. After spending much of his first two seasons with Golden State in the G League, he opened last season as the Warriors’ starting center, averaging 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 24 games.
Jones suffered a pectoral injury in an early December game in Detroit, which sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season. After returning in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, he got spot time, totaling nine minutes over the playoffs’ final two series.
Spellman joins Kevon Looney, Willie CauleyStein and Alen Smailagic in the Warriors’ projected center rotation for next season. Additionally, Spellman can play some power forward, where he will team with fellow Villanova alum Eric Paschall to help back up Draymond Green.
The Warriors have 14 players projected on their 201920 roster. They are expected to waive point guard Shaun Livingston before his $7.7 million contract for next season becomes fully guaranteed Wednesday.
Because Golden State is just $219,000 below the tax apron, it doesn’t have the cap room to accommodate even a minimum contract. The Warriors likely will enter next season with an open roster spot.