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Tickets at Ticket Master
Stephen Jackson turned down a chance to stay with the National Basketball Association champion San Antonio Spurs .
Now he will get the chance to help rebuild the Atlanta Hawks instead.
The Hawks signed free agent swingman Jackson here Friday. Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, they figure to be better than the three-year deal worth 10 million dollars from the Spurs that Jackson turned down in July.
The Spurs elected to replace Jackson with trades for Ron Mercer and Turkey's Hedo Tukoglu.
Jackson joins a club that struggled to a ticketmaster 35-47 record last season, finishing fifth in the NBA's Central Division.
"Obviously we are pleased to add Stephen to our team," Hawks general manager Billy Knight said. "He's a proven contributor who was a major contributor to San Antonio's championship team."
Jackson, 25, was the Spurs' third-leading scorer in the playoffs with 12.8 points a game. In the finals, Jackson averaged 10.3 points against his former team, the New Jersey Nets .
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"I appreciate the time I spent with the Spurs," Jackson said. "I
learned a great deal playing with guys like Tim (Duncan) and David (Robinson)
and I hope to bring those same experiences to Atlanta."
Jackson averaged
11.8 points, ticketmaster 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 80 games, all career
highs. The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers also showed interest in him
during the offseason.