Atlanta Hawks waive PG Royal Ivey

It’s been an interesting (and injury-riddled) preseason for the roster of the Atlanta Hawks, but on Friday, the team made a move toward shaping their opening night roster.

According to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks have waived point guard Royal Ivey, which likely paves the way for another point guard, Shelvin Mack, to make the regular season roster. The 31-year-old Ivey appeared in 3 preseason games for the Hawks this season, playing 18.0 minutes per game and averaging 3.7 points (on just 20% FG) and 2.7 assists per contest.

Ivey was a member of the Hawks during the first 3 seasons of his career (2004 – 2007), but it isn’t a surprise to see him waived by the team. He was operating on a non-guaranteed training camp contract, and he was presumably brought in to provide training camp depth and competition for the 3rd point guard position.

It’s important to note that the Hawks parting ways with Ivey does not necessarily guarantee a spot for Shelvin Mack, as he is also under a non-guaranteed deal that hasn’t been picked up in full. Either way, it doesn’t appear that Mack will be a major factor in Atlanta (with Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder on board), and the Hawks still have at least one roster to move to come, as the team still has 16 players.