THE Hawks have added former NBA and Brisbane Bullets big man Cameron Bairstow to their roster.
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The deal has been rumoured for some days but was announced on Tuesday morning.
An Olympian in Rio de Janeiro, Bairstow was an NBA draft pick for Chicago in 2014, before returning to Australia to play for the Bullets in 2016 and most recently had a stint in Lithuania.
"Cam brings big game experience to the Hawks and will provide a strong leadership presence for our young roster," coach Brian Goorjian said in a statement.
"His on court attributes are well known and he is a major addition to our front court.
"Cameron is also a class act off the court and will help establish the winning culture we want at the Hawks.
"With eight players now signed for the upcoming campaign, we believe we have built a team that will compete strongly this season."
The Hawks - who dumped the Illawarra name when the new ownership took over - now have eight players on their roster, as they rebuild after the going into liquidation at the end of Simon Stratford's time.
NBA G-League guard Tyler Harvey, Emmett Naar, Deng Deng, Dan Grida, Deng Adel, Sam Froling and Isaac White will lead the Hawks charge.
Harvey is a 27-year-old sharp-shooter will bring the scoring punch that saw him drop 58 points for the Memphis Hustle in the NBA G-League last season and will come to the Illawarra on a one-year deal.
The Hawks will be coached by six-time NBL title-winning coach Brian Goorjian, who is in lockdown in Melbourne amid the Covid-19 crisis.
Doubt has been cast over the start of the NBL season with the number of United players testing positive to COVID-19 moving to 12.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declared a state of emergency in the state, as the NBL confirmed both United and the Phoenix will remain in lockdown.
