College Park Acquires Chris Silva, Giorgi Bezhanishvili and 2022 First Round Pick in Separate Trades
By College Park Skyhawks Staff /August 25, 2022
Team Sends Center Justin Tillman to Grand Rapids Gold
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. – The College Park Skyhawks announced two trades on Thursday. The team acquired the returning player rights to Giorgi Bezhanishvili, Nik Stauskas, and a 2022 first round pick in the NBA G League Draft from the Grand Rapids Gold in exchange for the returning player rights to Justin Tillman.
College Park then acquired the returning player rights to forward Chris Silva from the Iowa Wolves in exchange for Nik Stauskas.
Silva has appeared in 69 regular season games over three seasons with Miami, Sacramento and Minnesota, and has logged NBA G League time with Sioux Falls and Iowa. He has NBA career averages of 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.7 minutes (.606 FG%, .707 FT%). In 10 games last season (nine with Miami, one with Minnesota), the 6-8 forward put in 2.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 9.1 minutes (.533 FG%, .833 FT%).
A native of Gabon, Silva played four seasons at University of South Carolina, where he averaged 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 21.7 minutes, appearing in 134 games (108 starts). In 2018, he was named First Team All-Southeastern Conference, was the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Defensive. In 2017, he helped the Gamecocks advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
Bezhanishvili, born in Rustavi in the Republic of Georgia, has one year of NBA G League experience after going undrafted in 2021. With the Grand Rapids Gold last season, Bezhanishvili appeared in 31 games (three starts), averaging 8.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 18.7 minutes per game on .591 FG% shooting.
The 6-9 forward played three seasons at the University of Illinois, appearing in 95 games (57 starts) during his career. He averaged 8.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game in his three years. On February 11, 2019, he was named Big Ten Player of the Week.
Tillman, who played one year with the Skyhawks after making the team as an open tryout player prior to the 2021-22 season, averaged 23.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in 28 games (all starts) last season.