The Atlanta Hawks reached an agreement on Thursday with Thabo Sefolosha, a free-agent shooting guard who averaged 6.3 points and 26 minutes on the floor per game last season in 61 games for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sefolosha agreed to a three-year deal worth $12 million, according to RealGM.
In nine seasons (three with the Chicago Bulls and six with the Thunder), Sefolosha has averaged 5.8 points per game, 3.7 rebounds and owns a 44.2 percent field-goal percentage.
Known as a defensive specialist, the 6-foot-7 wingman will join DeMarre Carroll as an elite defender around the perimeter. But Sefolosha, whose scoring has been limited throughout his career, lost his starting job with the Thunder during the 2013-14 playoffs when his three-point shooting became a liability.
Sefolosha shot 43.7 percent from three-point range in 2011-12, but only connected on 31.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc last season. Sefolosha is only two years removed from long-distance prowess. If he can regain that stroke, he could become a valued starter.
But the limitations on offense that forced him from his starting role last season, should push him into off-the-bench play, or rotational work with Carroll and Kyle Korver.
According to reports, Sefolosha spoke with, or visited, the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards and the Toronto Raptors in the days prior to agreeing to terms with the Hawks. The deal between the Hawks and Sefolosha won't be inked until July 10, after the league's July moratorium concludes.
