The Atlanta Hawks could be setting themselves up for a busy 2027 offseason, and the reason is sitting right there in the contract picture. Between expiring deals and a few other decisions that could open up room, Atlanta has a path to either swing big in a trade or clear enough cap space to chase major names.
CJ McCollum is the biggest headliner among the Hawks’ impending free agents. He arrived from the Washington Wizards in the Trae Young trade as an expiring salary, but that turned into much more than a short-term stop.
Once McCollum moved into the starting lineup, Atlanta went 20-6, and he was the difference-maker in two playoff wins over the New York Knicks. The Hawks brought him back on a one-year deal this offseason, and what happens after this year will be a major storyline.
His age, 35, matters here, and so does the development of this year’s No. 8 overall pick Kingston Flemings. Atlanta’s options on the trade and free agent market will also shape that call.
Luguentz Dort looks like the most likely of the group to remain in Atlanta after the season. He checks the age-timeline box for the Hawks and brings one of the league’s top perimeter defensive profiles. What he does offensively, especially as a shooter, will go a long way toward defining his value on the next contract, but there’s no question he should matter for this team this season and maybe well beyond it.
Jaxson Landale is back in the backup center role after doing an admirable job there following last season’s trade deadline. His health looms large because the Hawks don’t have a clear second-center answer behind him.
Landale gives them spacing and toughness, and Atlanta will need that. Whether he sticks around after this season is still an open question.
Mouhamed Gueye is entering his fourth season with the Hawks and has grown into a very useful defensive bench piece. His latest injury update is a setback, and his roster spot is not fully secure right now, but his progress has been one of Atlanta’s better developmental success stories. If he stays with the team, he should be part of the rotation once he gets back.
There are also a few other situations that could affect Atlanta’s flexibility even though they are not expiring contracts. Buddy Hield’s deal is only guaranteed for $3.1 million next season if he is waived by a certain date.
Devin Carter has a team option for 2027-2028 that must be decided on by Oct. 31.
Ryan Nembhard is set to become a restricted free agent after the season.
In Other News...
Hawks NBA Cup Draw Puts Trae Young In An Emotional Spotlight
The NBA Cup schedule has given Atlanta a familiar early-season wrinkle, with the Hawks set to open group play against the Washington Wizards on Nov. 6 at home. It is the kind of date that already carries a little extra weight, because Washington now sits on the other side of a transaction that changed the look of both teams and added an immediate subplot to the Hawks' cup run.
Trae Young's name is still the one that makes this matchup feel different. He has recently spoken with appreciation about Hawks fans, and this game could be his first chance to step back into Atlanta as a visiting player since the trade. Even in a tournament group that will be judged by wins and losses, the emotional pull of that return may end up being the part everyone remembers most. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Situation Could Suddenly Break Atlanta's Way
Jonathan Kumingas market may be shrinking in a way that could matter for Atlanta. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Cleveland may not chase a sign-and-trade for the forward as it turns its attention toward a contract extension with James Harden, and that shift would leave fewer obvious landing spots in play. For a player who has been linked to a few different possibilities, the squeeze could make the Hawks position feel a little more relevant than it did a few days ago.
Atlanta remains a logical name to watch because the Hawks have the kind of flexibility that can keep a return scenario alive, especially if other options dont gain traction. The Lakers and Timberwolves are still mentioned as possible suitors, but no real momentum has formed there, and that leaves Kuminga in a familiar holding pattern. For the Hawks, the appeal is simple: if the market keeps thinning out, their ability to stay in the conversation could suddenly matter a lot. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Fans Just Got A Marquee Home Date To Circle
LeBron James saying he will join the Philadelphia 76ers gives Atlanta a fresh layer of intrigue when the schedule circles back to one of the leagues annual spotlight dates. The Hawks are set to host Philadelphia on a holiday stage in the kind of nationally televised game that has become part of the citys routine, and it arrives with real star power attached.
Philadelphia and Atlanta will see each other three times this season, but this will be the only matchup in State Farm Arena. For Hawks fans, its the sort of home date that stands out immediately on the calendar, with a familiar holiday showcase now carrying a little extra juice because of who is expected to be in the building. [Read more 🡒]