Training camp is getting close, and the Atlanta Hawks still have a little roster housekeeping left to do before they get to 15. Most of the heavy lifting, though, is already in the books. Atlanta held onto key pieces from last season, added three rookies, and made a couple of trades to deepen the group around the edges.
That matters because the Eastern Conference got a lot tougher this offseason. With blockbuster moves and players coming back from injury around the league, the Hawks are going to need more than their established core to keep pace. If they’re going to push back into the postseason and maybe finally win a series for the first time since 2021, a few wildcard players may have to swing things.
One of those names is Carter. The expectation is not that he’ll crack the starting five or log huge minutes right away, if he’s still on the roster when camp opens.
But Atlanta did bring him in for a reason. Over his first two NBA seasons, he’s shown enough defensive bite to make him an interesting fit on a team that should be strong on the perimeter already.
That part of the roster is crowded with Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Lu Dort. Even so, Carter could give Quin Snyder another option if he can provide enough offense to stay on the floor. In that case, he’d be one more guard the Hawks could throw at an opponent’s primary ball-handlers, which would only add to the flexibility on that end.
The other major swing piece is Henri Veesaar. Atlanta knew it had to address center depth and add at least one or two players behind Onyeka Okongwu, so the team brought back Jock Landale and used a second-round pick on Veesaar. His Summer League was uneven, but it also showed why some viewed him as a first-round talent.
The appeal is obvious. Veesaar has the size Hawks fans have been asking for at center, and his ability to space the floor and rebound fits Snyder’s offense. The question is whether he can hold up defensively, especially in space, well enough to stay on the court as a rookie.
That issue could decide how soon Atlanta trusts him. The Hawks couldn’t replace Landale when he got hurt late in the season, and Veesaar gives them a possible answer if that situation comes up again. If he makes enough progress between camp and the end of the regular season, he could become more than just insurance.
Then there’s Flemings, who is already projected to have a major role as the backup point guard. Of the three wild cards, he may be the one with the clearest path to changing how good this team can be.
His passing stands out. So does his ability to create shots and push the ball in transition. If that translates, Atlanta could become even more dangerous in transition than it already was.
There’s always an adjustment for rookies, but the Hawks didn’t have another backup point guard with Flemings’ kind of raw talent to work with. If he can raise the level of the bench and give Atlanta a true pass-first guard, that could help solve one of the team’s bigger issues: half-court shot creation. That was a problem against the Knicks in the postseason, and it’s one the Hawks will be hoping Flemings can help ease.
In Other News...
Hawks Still Have One Big Jonathan Kuminga Question Hanging Over Them
Jonathan Kuminga is still sitting in free agency late in the process, and the ripple effects are worth watching for a Hawks team that has kept an eye on the market around him. Cleveland had been seen as a possible landing spot, but the Cavaliers trade for Peyton Watson addressed a similar kind of positional need and may have changed their calculus. Meanwhile, the Lakers are widely viewed as the front-runner, though their path to Kuminga would require a sign-and-trade because of cap constraints.
For Atlanta, the important part is that the board is not settled yet. Other teams could still jump in, and Kuminga remains one of the more intriguing names left on the market because his next move still depends on how the rest of the free-agent picture unfolds. Even with the leading suitors starting to take shape, there is still enough uncertainty here to keep the Hawks watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Just Got Another Reminder How Tough The East Will Be
The East already looked deeper entering the season, and the latest move around the conference only reinforces how crowded the race is becoming. The Knicks have helped set the tone with their rise, while teams like the Hawks and Cavaliers have also pushed themselves into a more competitive tier, making the margin for error even smaller for anyone trying to climb the standings.
Cleveland added another layer to that picture by bringing in Peyton Watson, a move that gives a rising contender more length and versatility on the wing. For Atlanta, it is another reminder that the conference schedule will not offer many soft spots, with matchups likely to feel increasingly physical and playoff-like well before spring arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Johnson Faces The Question That Will Define The Hawks Season
Jalen Johnson entered last season as the Hawks new centerpiece after the Trae Young trade, and he answered the job with an All-Star debut and a place on the All-NBA team. For a team trying to reset around a younger core, that kind of leap gave Atlanta a real foundation, one built less on splash and more on the hope that Johnson could grow into the player who defines the next era.
The playoff series against the Knicks, though, left a more complicated picture, because the questions around Johnson were no longer about talent but about whether his game would travel when the stakes rose. Atlantas offseason reflected that same patience, with the front office opting to keep building gradually through youth and veteran additions rather than chase an instant co-star, leaving Johnson at the center of a plan that still needs proof. [Read more 🡒]