ATLANTA, Jan. 30 -- The Atlanta Hawks Saturday decided to sign LaPhonso Ellis to fill the void left by the trade of forward Christian Laettner. The team said it expected to announce the signing at a 6 p.m. EST news conference.
Ellis had been a standout with the Denver Nuggets, who went in a different direction this year following an 11-71 campaign. No longer in Denver's plans, Ellis was courted by the Hawks and Utah Jazz. Ellis, 28, spent the first six seasons of his career with the Nuggets, although he was plagued by injuries. After recovering from an Achilles tendon ailment that pushed back the start of his 1997-98 campaign, Ellis managed to remain injury-free and played in 76 games. He averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and nearly three assists per game. The Hawks acquired forward Scot Pollard and a conditional first-round pick from the Detroit Pistons for Laettner, and re-signed Alan Henderson before rounding out the frontcourt with Ellis. They had also signed former Indiana Pacers big man Mark West. Ellis will push for playing time behind starters Henderson, the NBA's Most Improved Player last season, and Tyrone Corbin. Atlanta failed to lure free agent forwards Rick Fox and Billy Owens. Ellis will be reunited with former Nuggets teammate Dikembe Mutombo, the Hawks' shot- blocking center.