Former No. 13 pick loses his spot! Hawks waive 24-year-old Carter: plagued by injuries and poor shooting

On September 12, Beijing time, league sources informed NBA reporter Fischer that the Hawks intend to cut guard Devin Carter. HoopsHype's Michael Scotto also confirmed the report.

Carter has a fully guaranteed salary of $5,158,080 this season. As part of this move, the Hawks will decline Carter’s fourth-year team option worth $7,370,897 for the 2027-28 season.

The Atlanta Hawks acquired Carter and a 2033 second-round pick from the Kings at the end of June. This trade was a salary dump by the Kings, who also waived DeMar DeRozan's partially guaranteed contract this offseason and used the stretch provision to spread the remaining salary over three years.

After waiving the former Providence star, the Hawks still have 15 fully guaranteed standard contracts. Gueye is currently out with a foot fracture and his contract is non-guaranteed.

The 24-year-old Carter was a lottery pick for the Kings just two years ago, selected 13th overall in the 2024 draft. However, he delayed his NBA debut due to left shoulder surgery, and in the 2025-26 season, his sophomore year, he suffered ankle, back, and calf injuries. Over two seasons with the Kings, he played only 74 regular-season games, averaging 14.8 minutes, 6.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, with poor shooting: 40.1% from the field, 27.4% from three, and 67.4% from the free-throw line.

Carter's spot on the Hawks was already precarious. Later, in a trade involving Dort and Risacher, the Hawks acquired Nembhard from the Mavericks, making Carter's departure almost inevitable.