After making the decision to trade Jeff Teague and commit to Dennis Schroder as the team’s starting point guard position last summer, the Hawks were in search of a back up. Eventually the team would announce it had reached an agreement with Malcolm Delaney, then a 27-year-old veteran of Euro-league play. Initially the move left many observers scrambling to find out who this player was, In time, those with some knowledge seemed to praise the contract as of solid value. Still, Delaney was largely a unknown quantity to Hawks fans.
Delaney would play well in pre-season play and start the season as the clear reserve point guard for the Hawks.