The Hawks finally got the roster squeeze under control, and they did it by turning Buddy Hield and Ryan Nembhard into Dorian Finney-Smith.
What had been floated as a possible Hield-for-Finney-Smith discussion ended up as a fuller deal, with Atlanta sending Hield, Nembhard and cash to Charlotte in exchange for Finney-Smith. Atlanta had just added Nembhard earlier this offseason in the move that sent Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas and also brought Lu Dort over from Oklahoma City, so this is another quick turn in the Hawks’ offseason reshaping.
For Atlanta, the cleanest part of the deal is simple: the team is now at 15 players for training camp, which is the regular-season max. That matters.
It also lets the Hawks keep Mouhamed Gueye and Henri Veesaar, two young players who had been in the mix as possible trade or waiver candidates because of their injuries and low salaries. At the same time, Atlanta moves off two players who were going to struggle to find meaningful minutes.
Finney-Smith comes in off a rough year with the Rockets. Injuries limited him to 37 games, and in those appearances he put up 3.3 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 16 MPG while shooting 33% from the field and 27% from three. That’s a long way from the version of Finney-Smith Atlanta is betting on, but the Hawks are clearly making the gamble that he can bounce back and give them useful depth.
There’s at least a path to a real role. One of Atlanta’s biggest questions heading into camp was backup power forward, and with Gueye out for training camp and the preseason, Asa Newell and Zuby Ejiofor were the leading candidates to get those minutes.
They may still be the main options there, but now they have a veteran challenger. At his best, Finney-Smith gives Atlanta a defender who can hold up on the wing and, over the course of his career, has been a good three-point shooter.
He also gives the Hawks another option at center. With Veesaar out for the season, Finney-Smith can slide into the mix as a third center behind Onyeka Okongwu and Jock Landale.
If injuries hit, he has the ability to play small-ball five, something he has done before. Atlanta would obviously prefer to avoid needing that, but the option is there.
The contract structure also gives the Hawks an escape hatch if things go sideways. Finney-Smith is on a three-year, $41 million deal, but this coming season is the final one with guaranteed money.
If the fit doesn’t work, Atlanta could waive him next summer and keep its books clean. That flexibility matters for a front office that already has the Hawks positioned for cap room next summer or a pile of expiring deals to work with.
The money picture is tight, but manageable. Atlanta’s updated roster includes Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, CJ McCollum, Luguentz Dort, Onyeka Okongwu, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jock Landale, Corey Kispert, Aaron Wiggins, Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, Asa Newell, Mouhamed Gueye and Henri Veesaar. That group totals $198,549,512, before the dead money from waiving Devin Carter nearly two weeks ago.
That leaves the Hawks less than $2 million from the luxury tax, $10 million from the first apron and $13 million from the second apron. Atlanta is also hard-capped at the first apron after using a previous trade exception to acquire Aaron Wiggins earlier this offseason.
So the bottom line is pretty clear: Atlanta gets a bounce-back swing on Finney-Smith, clears up the roster logjam and stays under the tax. It’s a sensible move, just not one that dramatically changes the Hawks’ outlook.
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The frontcourt may be even more worth watching, especially after Henri Veesaars season-ending injury left a gap in the depth chart. Atlanta now has a real opening to monitor at center behind the top options, and camp should reveal whether the answer comes from one of the young bigs already in the mix or from another player who is able to get healthy and push for minutes. [Read more 🡒]
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Hawks Are Clearing A Real Opportunity For Kingston Flemings
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There is still a veteran presence in the mix to help carry some of the burden, which should make the transition easier for Flemings as he settles into the league. For a team looking to grow him the right way, the message feels pretty clear: let the rookie learn, let the minutes come naturally, and resist the urge to rush him into a starting job too soon. [Read more 🡒]