Hawks Rule Out 2 Players, List 3 More Questionable Before Season Opener

The Atlanta Hawks will open the regular season Wednesday at Kia Center without Mouhamed Gueye or Henri Veesaar.

Both were listed as out on the NBA's injury report for the game against the Orlando Magic, Gueye with a left foot fracture and Veesaar with a torn right ACL.

Atlanta also listed its three two-way players, RayJ Dennis, Keshon Gilbert, and Jalen Wilson, as questionable, each under the G League two-way designation. No other Hawks player appeared on the report.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET on Peachtree Sports Network.

During a workout on July 8, Gueye injured his left foot. An MRI and evaluation showed a fracture, and he had surgery July 14 at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex.

When the Hawks announced the injury the following day, they said he would be re-evaluated in three to four months.

Last season, the 6-foot-11 forward played in a career-high 77 games, with eight starts. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game. In six playoff games against the New York Knicks, he averaged 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds.

The Charlotte Hornets drafted Gueye 39th overall in 2023 out of Washington State, and a three-team trade that also involved the Boston Celtics sent him to Atlanta. Over 116 career games, 36 of them starts, he has averaged 4.9 points and 3.8 rebounds.

The 23-year-old is in the final year of his four-year contract.

Veesaar's injury came in a Sept. 15 workout, when he tore the ACL in his right knee. An MRI and evaluation at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex confirmed it.

The Hawks made the diagnosis public Sept. 21, said Dr. Kyle Hammond would perform surgery in October, and do not expect him to play this season.

The Los Angeles Clippers held the 52nd pick in June. They used it on Veesaar and sent him to Atlanta that night for Narcisse Ngoy, the 57th pick, and cash.

Before his one season at North Carolina, the 7-footer spent two at Arizona. He averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 31 games for the Tar Heels. His 3-point percentage was 42.6%, and he made the All-ACC second team.

Atlanta's other centers, Onyeka Okongwu and Jock Landale, did not appear on the report.

In Friday's 135-111 preseason win at Dallas, Landale scored 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting, with six rebounds and five assists.

Wilson agreed to his two-way deal July 20, and the Hawks announced it two days later. The Brooklyn Nets had not extended him a qualifying offer.

Brooklyn drafted Wilson 51st overall out of Kansas in 2023 and converted his original two-way contract to a standard deal on March 1, 2024. Over three seasons with the Nets, he appeared in 176 games, and he averaged 6.4 points in 54 games last season. Spotrac lists his Atlanta contract at one year and $678,882.

Dennis signed in December and Gilbert in March, and Spotrac lists both on two-year two-way contracts that run through this season.

Gilbert started last season on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal with the Washington Wizards, who waived him at the start of training camp. He played 30 games for the Capital City Go-Go, Washington's G League affiliate, and three for the Wizards on a 10-day contract before Atlanta signed him March 4.

He played once for the Hawks in the regular season. This preseason, a knee injury held him out until he was cleared for Friday's finale.

Two-way players can be active for up to 50 regular-season games. Atlanta's G League affiliate is the College Park Skyhawks.

Orlando ruled out four players: Anthony Black with a right ankle sprain, Jonathan Isaac with left knee injury management, Izaiyah Nelson with a left ankle injury, and Noah Penda with a partially torn right hamstring.

The Hawks opened the preseason with a 132-123 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 5 and won their last four. They finished 46-36 last season, won the Southeast Division, and went 4-0 against Orlando.

After Wednesday, Atlanta plays at Charlotte on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.