Patty Mills has been waived by the Atlanta Hawks, leaving him without an NBA contract heading into the final stretch of his 15th season in the league.
The 35-year-old Mills played just 19 of 58 games for the Hawks after being acquired during the off-season, averaging 2.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 10 minutes per game with Atlanta.
The Hawks upgraded undrafted 25-year-old guard Trent Forrest to a standard NBA deal after waiving Mills.
Mills has 879 appearances, including 107 starts, over a career spent largely with the San Antonio Spurs.
He also played for Portland and Brooklyn before joining the Hawks.
He played alongside former MVP, scoring leader and NBA champion Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, and the now-Phoenix Suns star was asked about the Australian veteran earlier this week.
“Just a flat-out legend for the Boomers,” Durant said.
“He’s been a constant for that program since I’ve been in the league. They play with such a toughness and that comes from their best player, which is Patty.
“Having an opportunity to play with Patty for two years in Brooklyn, I see why he’s become such a legend over there; he’s so passionate about where he’s from, he’s so passionate about the culture and basketball.
“He’s an extremely hard worker whose journey should be spoken about with some of the best. He continues to push the game forward and inspire a lot of people.”
Mills won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 2014 and there has been some speculation he could return to the Texas team, which is still coached by Gregg Popovich, with whom Mills enjoyed a strong relationship.
The speculation was sparked by the Spurs buying out Marcus Morris to allow him to leave.
The Spurs, boasting top draft pick and presumptive rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama, are languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference standings and in need of veteran leadership.
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ABC/AP