The Atlanta Hawks still have roster work to do, and the clock is ticking.
With NBA media days just three weeks away and training camp right behind them, Atlanta is sitting above the regular-season limit at 17 players. That means the front office has to get down to 15, and that kind of cleanup is never as simple as it looks on paper.
More than likely, two of Corey Kispert, Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard, Devin Carter, or Mouhamed Gueye will be moved or let go before the season begins. Onsi Saleh and the Hawks still have time to sort it out, but not much.
One possible path is a deal that brings De'Andre Hunter back to Atlanta while helping the Hawks trim some of the dead weight on the edge of the roster. The fit starts with need: Atlanta could use more small forward depth.
The team already moved Zaccharie Risacher earlier in the offseason, and while it added Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins, neither is the kind of natural small forward the roster is missing. Kispert, meanwhile, is unreliable and doesn’t look like a rotation lock if he stays.
In the proposed trade, Sacramento would receive Corey Kispert, Buddy Hield, a 2032 second-round pick from Atlanta via the Lakers, and a 2033 second-round pick via Atlanta.
Hunter’s path has already come full circle once. Atlanta dealt him at the 2024 trade deadline after he spent his first six seasons with the Hawks. At the time, he was in what was arguably the best season of his career, but the move came largely because his contract was seen as a negative asset and the Hawks needed to act while they still could.
The stretch since then has been rough. Hunter shot just 30.8% from three for the Cavaliers last season while averaging 14.0 PPG, then got moved to the Sacramento Kings for Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder. He appeared in only two games for Sacramento as the Kings tried to race to the bottom and improve their draft odds.
For Atlanta, the appeal is straightforward. Hunter would give the Hawks more size on the wing and could bring more shooting if he gets that part of his game back on track.
He also played well next to Jalen Johnson and already knows Quin Snyder's offensive system. He’s on an expiring contract, and Atlanta is positioning itself to have a good amount of cap space next summer.
Moving Kispert and Hield would only add to that flexibility.
Even after a move like this, the Hawks would still need at least one more transaction to get to 15 players. But it gets easier once Kispert and Hield are out of the picture, since neither is expected to matter in the rotation this season.
Sacramento, for its part, would be adding draft capital and could waive Hield after the season. The Kings would also be adding more shooting around Darius Acuff. Hunter isn’t a long-term piece there, and if another chance comes to move him, they should be interested.
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