The Hawks are making a clear bet on what they already have in the middle.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, “Free agent center Jock Landale intends to sign a one-year, $14 million deal to return to the Atlanta Hawks,” a move that keeps him in the mix for the 2026-27 season and signals Atlanta is comfortable with its current center setup.
That price tag is no small thing, but it also tells you where the Hawks’ thinking is right now. If they weren’t confident they could land one of the top center options on the market, they couldn’t really afford to let a useful backup walk away for nothing.
There’s also a basketball reason behind the decision. Landale’s injury late in the regular season, when he was hurt under the rim by Orlando’s Goga Bitadze, left Atlanta short-handed in the playoffs. The Hawks went into their series with the third-seeded Knicks without their best rim-protector, and New York made them pay after Atlanta stole two of the first three games.
The Knicks then took over from there and exposed the Hawks’ biggest weakness inside.
Landale, acquired from the Utah Jazz just before February’s trade deadline, was asked to handle a significant role right away, and he largely delivered. That’s part of why there’s been so much speculation that if he had been healthy, Atlanta might have pushed the Knicks to seven games or even won the series.
At the very least, the Hawks wouldn’t have been so vulnerable to being bullied in the paint. Mitchell Robinson’s work on the glass would have looked a lot different with Landale available off the bench.
The other part of this picture is Onyeka Okongwu. Even with Landale in the fold, Atlanta is showing plenty of confidence in Okongwu as its long-term starting center. He gives the Hawks a real offensive edge, and his improved ability to switch defensively has quickly become one of the team’s biggest advantages.
So instead of chasing a major frontcourt overhaul, Atlanta appears to be choosing continuity. The Hawks are betting on the group they already trust, rather than spending over $30 million annually on a fit they can’t be sure about.
In Other News...
Hawks Just Made A Backup Center Move With Bigger Implications
Atlantas front office has taken care of another frontcourt piece by bringing back Nicolo Melli on a one-year, $14 million fully guaranteed deal, a move that gives the Hawks some stability behind Onyeka Okongwu. Because Mellis Non-Bird Rights would not have gotten Atlanta close to that salary, the team is using nearly all of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception to make it happen, a sign the Hawks valued keeping a familiar reserve center in the fold after he gave them useful minutes last season.
Mellis return also says something about how the Hawks want to structure the bench as they navigate the rest of the summer. He missed the first-round playoff series against New York after a high right ankle sprain in early April, but Atlanta still seems comfortable locking him in for another year as the backup big. The bigger question now is how much flexibility remains elsewhere, because this latest move pushes the Hawks closer to the tax line and could shape what comes next on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Still Face One Risky Free Agency Fix They Can't Ignore
The Hawks head into free agency with a familiar problem sitting in plain sight: they need more interior size and better rim protection. Atlanta has a few different ways to tackle it, and the front office at least created some flexibility by declining the team option on Jonathan Kuminga, a move that could open up room to chase a center upgrade without getting boxed in financially.
The options come with different levels of upside and risk. Jock Landale gave Atlanta steady minutes down the stretch and could be in the mix again behind Onyeka Okongwu, while Sacha Mamukelashvilis breakout season gives the Hawks a more versatile frontcourt name to consider. Robert Williams III is the swing-for-the-fences target in the group, the kind of defender who changes the look of a paint overnight if he can stay healthy enough to be counted on. [Read more 🡒]