The Hawks have already lived through one major roster reset, and Corey Kispert is now the next name that deserves a hard look.
Atlanta’s path to this point traces back to last season, when the team decided it needed to move on from former franchise point guard Trae Young. The result was a deal that sent Young out and brought back CJ McCollum and Kispert, with no draft picks attached.
It was an unusual move for a player who meant so much to the city and the organization, but Atlanta did not sit around waiting for a market to develop. The Hawks pushed ahead, and that change helped spark a turnaround to close the season.
McCollum ended up being the bigger piece of the return, giving Atlanta a reliable scoring option. Kispert’s contribution was more modest.
He appeared in 39 games for the Hawks this season before a left thumb ligament tear ended his year early and required season-ending surgery. Before that injury, he posted 9.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 46.7% shooting from the field, 35.4% from three and 81% from the line.
Now Atlanta is entering an offseason in which it has made several moves that suggest it wants to keep building on last season’s momentum. But Kispert’s presence on the roster comes with real financial weight. He is owed $54 million over four years, including $40 million guaranteed and $13 million per year.
The problem is that Kispert offers one clear strength and not much else. His value comes almost entirely from offense, especially three-point shooting.
When those shots stop falling, his impact drops fast, and his limitations on the defensive end become harder to ignore. That leaves him looking more like a bench piece than a starter.
That matters even more because he is not a star and does not appear to have star upside. His availability is also a concern.
Over the last two seasons, Kispert has played just 58 games and has dealt with thumb, ankle and hamstring issues. For a Hawks team that wants to become more of a two-way group, that kind of inconsistency is a problem, particularly if the goal is better defense.
Atlanta has enough offense coming from other places. Keeping a player who mainly provides scoring while eating up a meaningful chunk of cap space on the bench is not the kind of move that points toward long-term success.
In Other News...
Hawks Still Have Tough Roster Calls Around Their Reworked Core
Atlantas roster is largely in place for the 2026-27 season, with the club comfortable enough in its reworked core to look ahead to training camp rather than spending the summer chasing major changes. The Hawks plan to keep the starting five that clicked late last season, with CJ McCollum operating as the lead guard and Jalen Johnson continuing to anchor the group as its best player.
Still, the final picture is not settled. The Hawks are carrying 17 players right now and need to get down to 15 before opening night, which means a couple of names will have to disappear from the mix one way or another. Ryan Nembhard, Devin Carter and Corey Kispert are among the players most vulnerable as the depth chart gets sorted out in camp, and the last few roster decisions should tell a lot about how the team sees its bench behind the new-look core. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks May Finally Be Getting Clarity On The Kuminga Standoff
Jonathan Kumingas free agency has dragged deep into the summer, and the delay has kept Atlanta tied to a situation that never quite seemed ready to settle. After the Hawks declined his team option, Kuminga stayed on the market as teams around the league weighed ways to meet his contract demands, with the Lakers and Timberwolves most often mentioned among the interested parties.
The longer the standoff continues, the more it points toward a sign-and-trade structure rather than a simple signing, especially with Clevelands move for Peyton Watson narrowing one possible path. Atlantas role in all of it remains more complicated than most, since the Hawks are already carrying a full roster and are not eager to add extra money back in a deal, which could force the conversation into a three-team arrangement before there is any real clarity. [Read more 🡒]