Illawarra fans, the Deng Adel experiment appears to be over.
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The Hawks will part ways with their marquee man in the coming days, ending weeks of speculation about the big man's future.
The Mercury understands the club was not happy with Adel's output this NBL campaign, and decided to release him with 10 games left until the 2021 finals.
Adel is not expected to travel with the squad for their next game against the New Zealand Breakers in Melbourne on Monday night.
The announcement will end a disappointing stint in Wollongong for the former Cleveland Cavalier. As first reported in the Mercury, the 201cm athletic forward signed on as the Hawks marquee signing last July.
However, Adel had his share of injury concerns after arriving in the Illawarra.
The 24-year-old picked up a calf injury in preseason, but recovered in time for round one against Brisbane. However, he was restricted to just 12 minutes before sitting out with quad tightness.
Adel missed the next two games before returning for Illawarra's 20-point win over the Taipans. In total, he represented the Illawarra on 23 occasions, averaging 3.57 rebounds and under six points per game, going at just 31 per cent from the field.
Adel was viewed as a key cog as part of coach Brian Goorjian's rebuilding project, alongside guard Emmett Naar and Deng Deng.
Born in South Sudan, Adel grew up in Melbourne before playing US College basketball in Louisville, making his NBA debut in early 2019 for the Cavaliers. He was playing in the NBA G-League when the Covid pandemic hit and returned to Australia.
When the NBL free agency period opened, the Hawks fended off interest from rival clubs to sign Adel. At the time, Goorjian described him as an "NBA level talent".
"The fact he has put his trust and faith in the Hawks program to help him on that journey is a great endorsement of the organisation and its direction under new ownership," Goorjian said.
It's unclear if the Hawks, who are fifth on 12-14 on the NBL ladder after an overtime loss to Sydney, will find a replacement.
The Hawks declined to comment when approached by the Mercury.