The Hawks didn’t make the kind of offseason splash that turned heads around the Eastern Conference, but that doesn’t mean they’re done looking for ways to level up.
Atlanta enters the 2026-27 season coming off a big jump from a year ago. After moving Trae Young for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, the Hawks went 26-15 and climbed out of the play-in range all the way to the sixth seed. Now they’re set to open with what could be the same starting five, while Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins arrive as key additions and Jock Landale is back to deepen the bench.
That should give Atlanta a better base than last season, but the conference around them got loud in a hurry. Philadelphia made the biggest move of the offseason by landing LeBron James and Jaylen Brown.
Miami swung big for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Washington is banking on Trae and Anthony Davis staying healthy, with first overall pick AJ Dybansta viewed as a star in the making.
New York kept most of its championship core together, and Cleveland brought back James Harden while also finishing the sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson. Toronto, meanwhile, finally completed its acquisition of Kawhi Leonard after the investigation into the Clippers wrapped up.
That Leonard deal matters for Atlanta because the name going the other way was Brandon Ingram, and he’s the kind of player the Hawks should have on their radar if they need a midseason jolt.
Ingram fits the profile of a possible deadline swing. He’s a 6-foot-8 scorer who can give Atlanta something it doesn’t currently have in the same way.
The Hawks’ offense under Quinn Snyder was built on movement, pace, and smart decisions from much of the starting group. Jalen Johnson and Most Improved Player Nickeil Alexander-Walker helped drive that approach, and Atlanta’s ball movement made it difficult to handle.
But after a full offseason, opponents will have more tape to study, and that’s where a player like Ingram starts to make real sense.
If the Hawks’ offense stalls, Ingram should be there for the taking.
He averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 77 regular-season games last season while carrying a 26.4 usage rate, the same mark Jalen Johnson posted last season. Defense is not his calling card, but Atlanta already has enough capable defenders across the roster to help cover that up.
What makes Ingram especially interesting is the shot profile. He’s one of the league’s best midrange scorers, and last season he hit 49.5% of his shots from 8-16 feet and 45.1% from 16-24 feet.
His 5.6 attempts per game from 8-16 feet ranked fifth in the NBA, and his 2.6 makes ranked sixth. That’s a different weapon than what Atlanta has right now.
The closest Hawk in 8-16 foot attempts per game was Johnson at 3.5.
There’s also the contract angle. Ingram has two years left, with the second year a player option, so Atlanta wouldn’t be locking itself into anything long term if the fit wasn’t right. And depending on how the Clippers situation shakes out, he may not even cost as much as some other deadline names.
The Hawks might not need much during the season if this group keeps building on last year’s momentum. But if they do go looking for a major upgrade, and especially if they want a scorer who changes the look of the offense, Brandon Ingram is a name they ought to be watching closely.
In Other News...
Hawks Just Reshaped Quin Snyders Staff In A Way Fans Will Feel
The Hawks continued their offseason reshaping with a fresh round of staff additions around Quin Snyder, announcing Jason Love as an assistant coach and Sergi Oliva as a basketball strategy and development advisor. Those moves come amid a broader staff shuffle that has also included Bryson Grahams move to the Bulls, Kyle Korvers departure, promotions for Peter Dinwiddie and Maxwell Kupchak, and Ronald Nored leaving for the head coaching job at Butler.
Ettore Messina also joins the mix as a coaching consultant, giving Snyder another experienced basketball mind in the room as Atlanta works through a changing organizational structure. Onsi Saleh and Snyder both received contract extensions as part of the overhaul, with Saleh also taking over as President of Basketball Operations, a sign the Hawks want more continuity even as the supporting cast around the bench and front office keeps evolving. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Camp Will Decide Whether This New Roster Can Keep Up
Training camp is about to sort out a Hawks roster that looks meaningfully different, but still has plenty to prove before anyone can call it settled. Atlanta is leaning hard into internal development this fall, with a mix of draft picks Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar joining a group that also includes re-signed and newly acquired veterans such as CJ McCollum, Jock Landale, Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Ryan Nembhard. In a loaded Eastern Conference, the emphasis is less on splashy roster reinvention and more on figuring out how quickly the pieces can fit together.
The biggest questions are the kinds that usually linger well into October: who starts, who comes off the bench, and which bigs can claim minutes at power forward and center. Atlanta will use camp to see how the new additions blend with the holdovers, and whether the roster has enough balance and depth to keep pace without a blockbuster move rescuing it later. For a team trying to climb in a hurry, the answers in camp could matter almost as much as the ones that come once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Face A Starting Lineup Debate That Could Reshape The Rotation
Atlantas roster reshuffle has turned the starting five into one of the more interesting questions of the upcoming season, with the team weighing how best to balance offense, defense and fit around a newly crowded backcourt. The collection of CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and Lu Dort gives the Hawks plenty of lineup combinations to sort through, and the right answer may depend on whether they want to lean into scoring punch or build a group that can hold up better on the other end.
Lu Dort stands out as the most natural candidate to crack the opening group because of what he brings on the perimeter and the experience he has in bigger games, but any change like that comes with ripple effects. If the Hawks decide to prioritize defense at the top of the rotation, it could force another established guard into a different role and reshape the second unit in a way that changes the balance of the entire bench. [Read more 🡒]