Tiago Splitter Injury Update: Hawks Forward to Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

Atlanta Hawks big man Tiago Splitter will undergo hip surgery that will force him to miss the remainder of the 2015-16 NBA season, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Hawks' official Twitter account confirmed the news on Splitter's status.

After spending his first five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, Splitter was traded to the Hawks this past July. The 31-year-old posted averages of 16.1 minutes, 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 36 games this season.

NBA.com's John Schuhmann weighed in on how Splitter's injury situation may impact not only the Hawks going forward but also the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics:

Splitter is a solid paint defender who is capable of playing center and power forward, so his absence certainly is a blow to Atlanta's depth in the frontcourt.

ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz and Brian Windhorst reported last week that four-time All-Star Al Horford is a player the Hawks are considering moving ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. Horford is in the final year of his contract, but Splitter's injury situation may persuade Atlanta to include Horford in its long-term plans.

The Hawks are at a crossroads of sorts and sit fourth in the Eastern Conference coming out of the All-Star break. They are extremely thin up front without Splitter as it is, so any deadline trade should be geared toward bolstering that area of the roster.