The Hawks are staring at a familiar offseason problem: too many bodies, too few roster spots, and a decision that could end up revealing what kind of team they want to be.
Atlanta currently has 17 players under contract, which means at least two more moves have to happen before the 2026-27 season tips off. That reality puts a 33-year-old veteran who barely saw the floor last season squarely in the conversation as a trade or cut candidate. But the choice may not be as simple as clearing him out.
Buddy Hield brings something this roster still needs - veteran presence. Even with additions over the past year, including CJ McCollum, the Hawks remain a young group. They opened last season as the third-youngest team in the NBA, and that showed in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, when they fell to the eventual-champion New York Knicks.
For a team still learning how to handle the postseason, there’s value in keeping a player who has been through plenty of NBA turbulence over 10 seasons. Hield is described as a fan-favorite and locker room glue-guy, and even with a salary north of $9 million next season, there’s a case that holding onto him could pay off if Atlanta expects to make real noise in the playoffs.
That doesn’t mean he’s locked in. If a clear upgrade shows up before February’s trade deadline, Hield would still be in play. But heading into the season with him on the roster wouldn’t be a bad move at all.
Of course, if Hield stays, someone else has to go.
That’s the catch for Atlanta. It would be easy to look at Corey Kispert and Hield’s combined $22 million and treat that as the cleanest path out, but the league rarely makes it that simple for teams willing to take on contracts like that. So the Hawks may need to turn elsewhere.
Devin Carter could be one answer. Mo Gueye could be another. With two months still left before the season starts, Atlanta has time to sort it out.
In Other News...
Hawks Have One Clear Kuminga Trade Condition To Watch
Jonathan Kumingas sign-and-trade market has started to tighten as other suitors come off the board, and that matters for Atlanta even as the Hawks stay on the periphery of the conversation. Cleveland and Los Angeles are believed to be out after making other moves, which shifts more attention toward a narrowed field and leaves the Hawks weighing whether any framework would make sense for them at all.
For Atlanta, the key is simple: it would only get involved if the deal clearly serves its own roster and salary goals. A more complicated multi-team structure could make that possible, but no agreement has come together yet, and the Hawks are in no rush to take on a deal that does not improve their flexibility. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Face A Risky Gueye Extension Decision With Real Upside
Mouhamed Gueye has already shown why the Hawks are intrigued by him. His defensive instincts and activity have stood out enough to put him near the top of the leagues forward group in defensive playmaking, and that kind of value matters for a team trying to keep young, useful pieces in place. Atlanta has reason to believe there is real upside here if the timing and the price can line up.
The complication is the injury history attached to the conversation. Gueye fractured his left foot during a summer workout, had surgery and is projected to return in early 2027, which makes a big-money extension hard to justify right now. That is why a low-sum, long-term deal could make sense for both sides, giving the Hawks cost control while giving Gueye some security, much like the kind of agreement the Spurs reached with Julian Champagnie. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Have An Explosive Duo But One Huge Offensive Question
Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson gave Atlanta something it has long wanted last season: a pair of athletes who could turn defense into instant offense and make the floor tilt the other way. Both were among the leagues most effective transition players, right up there with names like Tyrese Maxey and Donovan Mitchell, and they looked comfortable sharing the court with CJ McCollum in Atlantas spread-out, high-octane group.
The problem for the Hawks is figuring out what comes next if that blend changes. McCollums one-year extension leaves his role in question beyond the short term, and Atlanta is already weighing whether rookie Kingston Flemings could eventually grow into the kind of offensive organizer who helps maximize Alexander-Walker and Johnson without taking the ball out of their hands. Thats the real roster puzzle now, because the speed is there, but the team still has to find the right centerpiece to keep it all connected. [Read more 🡒]