Hawks release former third overall pick Jahlil Okafor

Veteran center Jahlil Okafor has been cut for the second time this offseason. The Hawks announced in a press release on Monday that they requested waivers on the big man. Atlanta now has 19 players under contract.

A former third overall pick, Okafor spent last season in Detroit, averaging 5.4 PPG and 2.4 RPG in a very limited role (12.9 MPG) across 27 games. The big man has also spent time with the Sixers, Nets and Pelicans since entering the NBA out of Duke in 2015. He was traded from Detroit to Brooklyn in September and was subsequently waived by the Nets before catching on with Atlanta for training camp.

Okafor was on a non-guaranteed contract with the Hawks, so he was never a great bet to make the team’s regular-season roster. However, Atlanta only has 14 players with fully guaranteed contracts, so someone with a non-guaranteed deal could still make the 15-man squad. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and DaQuan Jeffries are among those in the mix.

Okafor, meanwhile, will look for another opportunity if and when he clears waivers on Wednesday.