The Atlanta Hawks have made their call on Asa Newell, and it was the straightforward one: the team is picking up the 2027-2028 option on the second-year forward’s contract.
Atlanta had until Nov. 2 to decide whether to exercise the third-year option, and Newell will make $3.56 million in 2027-28.
Newell, the Hawks’ first-round pick in the 2025 draft, has appeared in 47 games with two starts over his first two seasons. He’s averaging 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field. He also carved out a small place in franchise history on Oct. 25, 2025, against Oklahoma City, when he posted 12 points, 10 rebounds, seven of them offensive, and one assist to become the sixth-youngest Hawk ever to record a double-double at 20 years, 20 days old.
From the Hawks’ side, the decision makes plenty of sense. Even if there are questions about whether Newell becomes a true impact player at the NBA level, the price tag is low and the upside is still there. He remains a young player with room to develop.
The bigger question now is where he fits in the rotation. With Mouhamed Gueye injured and no timetable yet for his return, Newell looked like a natural candidate to step in as the backup power forward and pick up minutes. Instead, Atlanta has gone with Lu Dort in that role, apparently because of defensive concerns.
Newell did get a chance to show something in last night’s loss to the Pelicans after Jock Landale went down early. It was his first real run of this regular season, and he made the most of it enough to finish with 13 points and four rebounds.
The shot from deep wasn’t there, though, as he went 1-for-6 from three. If Landale remains sidelined, the Hawks will have to decide whether Newell stays in the mix or whether they turn to Ejiofor instead.
That’s part of a larger roster picture Atlanta will have to sort through. The Hawks also drafted Zuby Ejiofor in the first round of this past year’s draft, and long term, there’s at least a question about whether Gueye, Newell and Ejiofor can all coexist on the same roster, given how much their skill sets overlap.
For now, though, the main takeaway is simple: Atlanta has locked in a cheap, young piece for another year. Newell hasn’t had a major role yet, but this was an easy move for the Hawks.
In Other News...
Hawks Suddenly Have A Frontcourt Problem Ahead Of Indiana
The Hawks are heading into their matchup with Indiana with their frontcourt suddenly looking thin, and the injury report could force some quick decisions before tipoff. Jalen Johnson is listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain, while Jock Landale, Mouhamed Gueye and Henri Veesaar have all been ruled out, leaving Atlanta with fewer options than usual up front.
If Johnson cannot go, the Hawks may have to get creative with their rotation and piece together the center spot on the fly. That could mean leaning on younger depth and scrambling the frontcourt alignment in a game where the Pacers will be able to test every bit of that flexibility. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Suddenly Have A Point Guard Problem They Cant Ignore
Kingston Flemings night ended early in a recent loss to the Pelicans, and the way it ended left the Hawks with more than just a bad result to sort through. The rookie point guard was ejected after a late incident involving Bryce McGowens, a moment that has now put his availability under the microscope as the league weighs whether further discipline is coming.
For Atlanta, the concern is bigger than one missed game. Flemings has been part of the rotation at a position where the Hawks do not have much margin for error, and any suspension would force the staff to lean even harder on its veteran backcourt help. With the guard room already thin, the team may have to adjust quickly if the league decides to add to the punishment. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Just Sent A Strong Message About Asa Newells Role
Asa Newells first night in the Hawks rotation came with more than just a chance to get on the floor. In the game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Atlanta gave the rookie real minutes and a real role, and he answered with a lively performance that fit the kind of energy this team has been searching for off the bench and around the edges of the rotation.
The timing of that usage matters, too, because the Hawks clearly are not treating Newell like a throw-in development piece. After his season debut, the organization moved quickly to show confidence in his place in the long-term picture, and his 19-minute outing only reinforced why. Even in a loss, he looked like a player who could carve out a bigger slice of the rotation sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]