The Hawks may not be done sorting out the back end of the roster, but the shape of their 2026-27 team is already pretty clear. Atlanta still has to get under the regular season roster limit before the season starts, which means at least two players are going to be moved, traded, or waived before opening night.
That cleanup job could take some time. The most likely names to be dealt with, in no particular order, are Corey Kispert, Buddy Hield, Devin Carter, Mouhamed Gueye, and Ryan Nembhard. Carter can’t be traded until August 30, and Nembhard can’t be traded until Sept. 19, so the Hawks may have to sit tight before they can fully solve the logjam.
What Atlanta does have is flexibility. A big chunk of the roster is sitting on expiring or near-expiring money, including CJ McCollum, Lu Dort, Jock Landale, Buddy Hield, Devin Carter if his 2027-2028 team option is declined, Mouhamed Gueye, and Ryan Nembhard. That kind of salary structure gives the Hawks room to make a bigger move during the season if one comes along, or to open up plenty of cap space next summer.
Here’s how the roster currently stacks up:
G- CJ McCollum
G- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
G/F- Dyson Daniels
F- Jalen Johnson
C- Onyeka Okongwu
F- Lu Dort
G/F- Aaron Wiggins
C- Jock Landale
G- Kingston Flemings
F- Mouhamed Gueye
F/C- Zuby Ejiofor
F- Asa Newell
G- Devin Carter
G- Ryan Nembhard
F- Corey Kispert
G- Buddy Hield
C- Henri Veesaar
Even after bringing in Dort, Atlanta’s starting five is expected to stay intact. The group was strong after the All-Star Break, and the thinking here is that the Hawks still need Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s spacing and playmaking. Dort gives them elite perimeter defense, but Alexander-Walker brings value on that end too.
The bench, on paper, looks stronger than it did a year ago, especially if Landale stays healthy and Flemings is ready right away. If Landale isn’t available, the next center options would be Ejiofor, Veesaar, or Gueye, with Ejiofor the best bet for the third-center job. Atlanta probably won’t go as deep as 11 players in the rotation once the games start, but Gueye’s foot injury, which could keep him out until November, opens a door for Asa Newell and Ejiofor to grab minutes in camp and preseason.
And even if Kispert and Hield are still on the roster when the season begins, neither is expected to have a rotation role. Veesaar, meanwhile, looks headed for a developmental year in the G-League.
In Other News...
Hawks Face A Peyton Watson Decision That Could Shape Bigger Plans
The Hawks are still in the early stages of sorting through their options at forward, and Peyton Watson has emerged as one name worth monitoring. Atlantas interest in the Denver Nuggets wing is exploratory for now, not the kind of all-in pursuit that signals an imminent move, but the fit is easy enough to understand given the teams bigger-picture roster questions and its interest in adding long-term athleticism and size.
What complicates the conversation is that Atlanta is not evaluating Watson in a vacuum. The Hawks are also weighing the future of Jonathan Kuminga, and that could affect how much sense another young forward makes as a target. Denver has also adjusted its asking price, which keeps Watson on the board as a real possibility, but the Hawks still have to decide whether this is the right place to spend that kind of capital. [Read more 🡒]
Former Hawks Keep Resurfacing In One Place Fans Didn't Expect
The offseason has produced an unexpected little Atlanta reunion in New Orleans, where the Pelicans have brought in three former Hawks players for the 2026-27 season. Kobe Bufkin, Christian Koloko and Caleb Houstan are all on low-commitment deals, a sign that New Orleans is trying to keep its roster flexible while new head coach Jamahl Mosley works with largely the same core he inherited.
Bufkin is the most interesting name for Hawks fans because he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets before last season, and he now lands in a backcourt that already includes former Atlanta guard Dejounte Murray and other established pieces. For a group that once looked like it might leave Atlanta in the rearview, the New Orleans setup creates a strange kind of overlap, with familiar names resurfacing in one place and playing time not necessarily waiting for all of them. [Read more 🡒]