The Hawks are running into the part of roster building nobody enjoys: somebody useful is going to get squeezed out.
Atlanta sits at 17 players on standard deals, plus three two-way contracts, and has to trim to 15 before the season starts. That part is non-negotiable.
The tricky part is that this isn’t a roster full of dead weight. The Hawks have depth, but depth comes with a price, and the front office now has to decide which piece is the least painful to move.
Mo Gueye is starting to look like the name that could get caught in the middle.
He’s become a fan favorite, and for good reason. His defense is electric, and he brings real value on that end.
But he’s still a work in progress, and Atlanta’s roster crunch means sentiment won’t be enough to save him. The Hawks already added three rookies on standard contracts, and those players are not going anywhere.
They’re also going to need development time, which only tightens the math.
Atlanta has other possible paths to get down to 15. Corey Kispert and Buddy Hield are both mentioned as trade candidates, but their contracts make them difficult to move around the league. Teams have to want the player and be able to take on the money, and there aren’t many clubs with the flexibility or the motivation to absorb those short-term deals.
Gueye, on the other hand, could draw a real market.
He’s young, he makes very little, and that combination tends to travel well in trade talks. He’s set to make just $2.4 million for the 2026-27 season before hitting free agency the following summer, and that could be enough to bring back meaningful value. The source points to the possibility of a package built around second-round picks, and even says a first-rounder could be in play.
If no trade develops, Atlanta has another route: simply cutting him.
There would be little to no financial penalty for releasing Gueye’s expiring salary, and that kind of flexibility matters when the roster has to be reduced. Releasing him, along with one of the newly acquired point guards - Devin Carter or Ryan Nembhard - would get the Hawks to the required 15.
The last wrinkle is that one of the point guards remains a free agent, and what happens there could shape the rest of Atlanta’s decisions. However it plays out, the Hawks are about to make a tough call, and Gueye is suddenly right in the center of it.
In Other News...
Kingston Flemings Just Landed A Hawks Role Built For Growth
Kingston Flemings arrived in Atlanta as the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but the Hawks are not rushing him into the deep end. Instead, they plan to ease the young guard into a lead role with the second unit, where he can handle the ball and learn the pro game with a little more room to grow.
Atlantas veteran additions of Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and CJ McCollum give the roster more structure around him, and that setup is clearly designed with the future in mind. The idea is for Flemings to develop as a facilitator first, then eventually move toward the starting point guard job once he is ready to take on that responsibility. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Face A Risky Kuminga Decision With Real Trade Value At Stake
Jonathan Kuminga has become one of the more complicated names in the Hawks orbit as Atlanta weighs whether to participate in a sign-and-trade framework with the Lakers. Los Angeles has been pushing to get a deal done, and the Hawks have at least been part of the conversation because Kuminga still carries real trade value, even as the negotiations have been slowed by questions about his contract expectations and how well he would fit the role the Lakers have in mind.
The appeal for Atlanta is obvious: Kuminga is the kind of talent that can move the needle if the price and structure are right. But the Hawks are also staring at the downside of committing to a deal that may not fully align with their timeline or roster needs, especially with the Lakers asking them to take on additional moving parts in the process. With the talks still unsettled, Atlanta is left to balance upside against risk while trying to avoid being the team that blinks first. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Smith Calls Out Bam Adebayo Over Controversial Rankings
Joe Johnson and Josh Smith had some fun with Bam Adebayos all-time player list on the Nightcap podcast, and the omission at the center of it turned the conversation into more than just a passing ranking debate. The former Hawks standouts zeroed in on Adebayo leaving LeBron James off the list, a choice that instantly gave the segment a different edge because any list that involves James is going to invite a second round of judgment.
Smith took the sharper route, suggesting Adebayo might be salty because James never joined Miami to play with him. The reaction spilled quickly into social media, where fans weighed in on the omission and on the relationship between Adebayo and James, turning a simple ranking exercise into another reminder of how even casual player lists can become a referendum on motives, respect, and old Heat-era connections. [Read more 🡒]