<p>ATLANTA — Stunned at being traded, Lou Williams seriously considered retiring.</p>
<p>In the end, the 16-year NBA veteran decided he did want to play for his hometown team.</p>
<p>Williams joined the Atlanta Hawks ahead of their game Tuesday night in Phoenix against the Suns, nearly a week after he was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-toronto-marquese-chriss-kyle-lowry-chicago-bulls-c6900ba8957af7f8eadc39898fc45302">dealt by the Los Angeles Clippers</a> at the trade deadline for guard Rajon Rondo.</p>
<p>After four seasons in L.A., Williams was admittedly shaken that the Clippers would decide to part with him.</p>
<p>“It hurts,” he said on a Zoom availability from Phoenix. “I had a lot of investment there. We had some success. We were gearing up for another deep run, a championship run. That what my mentality. I thought I would finish the season there."</p>
<p>After thinking things over, Williams decided against retirement. He feels like he can help the youthful Hawks make a push toward their first playoff berth since 2017.</p>
<p>“I still feel like I can play at a high level," the combo guard said. "I feel like I can help this team do some things. I don’t want to look back and say I retired prematurely, be asking myself what could have been or what I could’ve done. This is an opportunity to finish out the season with this team and go from there.”</p>
<p>The Hawks went into their contest against the Suns having won nine of 12 games, pushing into playoff contention in the tightly bunched Eastern Conference since <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-atlanta-hawks-atlanta-travis-schlenk-750105d93b206e7b8231933cb18acfa4">Lloyd Pierce was fired</a> and Nate McMillan took over as interim coach.</p>
<p>They are counting on Williams to provide an extra scoring option off the bench, a role the three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner has played throughout his long career. He averaged 12.1 points a game in 42 appearances with the Clippers. </p>
<p>Williams was not going to take the court right away for the Hawks, a team he played with for a couple of seasons nearly a decade ago. It’s an entirely new group, of course, led by budding stars Trae Young and John Collins. </p>
<p>Williams only just met most of his new teammates, so he wanted to take at least one game observing their style and rotations from the bench.</p>
<p>“I want to get an understanding of how they play,” he said. “See their sets, get a feel for their rotations, understand how this group of guys mesh, see where I might fit. It would be unfair to this group of guys to just throw me out there.”</p>
<p>The Hawks are winding down their longest road trip of the season — an eight-game, two-week jaunt spent mostly on the West Coast. Williams will get his first chance to play before the home folks on Sunday, when Atlanta hosts Golden State. </p>
<p>Williams grew up in suburban Atlanta and came to prominence at South Gwinnett High School. The 34-year-old still lives in the city and does look forward for a chance to add to his legacy in a second stint with the Hawks.</p>
<p>“It took me few days to get here,” he said. “Once I arrived, I wanted the energy to be positive, I wanted the experience to be positive. I didn’t want the guys to look at me like I didn’t want to be here. </p>
<p>“It’s not personal against the Hawks,” Williams added. "I just needed time to figure out what’s best for me at this stage of my career. Now that I’m here, I feel embraced. The guys seem to want me here. I’m ready to make this push and move forward.”</p>
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