The Atlanta Hawks have already done plenty of work this offseason, but they still aren’t done shaping the roster before training camp. After bringing back CJ McCollum, Jock Landale, and Mouhamed Gueye, drafting Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar, and trading for Devin Carter and Aaron Wiggins, Atlanta now sits at 16 players - one over the regular-season limit.
That leaves the front office with a few decisions to make, and the biggest ones are tied to how the Hawks want to use the rest of their roster spots. Atlanta has $37.4 million committed to Buddy Hield, Corey Kispert, and Zaccharie Risacher, three players whose roles are unclear heading into the 2026-2027 season. That kind of money tied to uncertain fits is not ideal, even for a team that has generally handled its last two offseasons well.
Buddy Hield’s guaranteed deal stands out as the easiest place to start. The Hawks could have saved $6 million and opened up a roster spot, but instead locked him in for the season.
Kispert is a tougher move because he has three years left on his contract, yet his place in the rotation has already become shaky. He fell out of the lineup late in the season and then didn’t play in the playoffs, even though Atlanta’s depth was clearly tested against the Knicks.
Both players can shoot, but both also come with defensive issues and salaries that are hard to justify. If Atlanta can find a market, moving Hield and Kispert before camp should be a priority.
That would also help the Hawks address the other piece of the puzzle: bringing back Kuminga. There has been plenty of chatter about the Lakers, but the Cavaliers and Bucks are also interested.
Unless Kuminga is willing to take a major pay cut, any team that wants him likely has to work through a sign-and-trade. Atlanta would have to cooperate on that deal, and there’s no reason to expect the Hawks to do it unless it clearly helps them.
Still, Kuminga makes sense for this group. He was inconsistent, but he was also Atlanta’s best bench player and showed some defensive upside he hadn’t flashed as much with Golden State. If the Hawks can clear out Hield and Kispert, they should seriously consider keeping Kuminga around and seeing whether he can keep growing in this environment.
There’s also the matter of Onyeka Okongwu, who sits right in the middle of Atlanta’s long-term picture. The Hawks have their “core four” of Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Okongwu on team-friendly deals for the next few seasons, and Okongwu is extension eligible beginning in October. He’ll have two years left on his contract when the season starts, and Atlanta should be thinking about the future now.
Some could argue the Hawks still need another frontcourt partner for him, but Okongwu has earned real trust. His three-point shooting has taken a step forward, and he’s a better defender than he’s often credited for being. He can sign a three-year extension worth $76 million once October arrives, and Atlanta should be ready to lock him in.
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Hawks Face A Costly Kuminga Backup Plan Fans Will Recognize
If Jonathan Kumingas future in Atlanta stays murky, the Hawks already have a fallback name on the board. Peyton Watson has emerged as a possible sign-and-trade alternative, and the appeal is obvious: he brings defensive versatility and enough offensive growth to make him more than just a placeholder if the Hawks need to pivot quickly.
The problem is that a backup plan can get expensive in a hurry. Atlanta still wants to re-sign Kuminga, but it also has to weigh what it would take to pry Watson loose, and that likely means a meaningful price in draft capital or other assets. For a team trying to keep its options open, the question is whether the insurance policy ends up costing too much to justify. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Fans Are Feeling Vindicated As Trae Trade Takes Another Turn
The Hawks decision to send Trae Young to Washington without any draft picks coming back already looked like a bold bet on the future, and the latest national buzz around the deal only sharpens that debate. Bleacher Reports contract rankings put Young near the bottom of the league, pointing to the kind of salary-cap weight that can reshape a roster quickly when a team is trying to build around him.
For Atlanta fans, the intrigue now shifts to what the Wizards do with the rest of their books. Youngs deal is already a major commitment, and Washington could be forced to juggle that alongside other expensive decisions that may leave less room for the younger players it wants to keep and develop. The trade was always going to be judged over time, but the pressure on the Wizards to make the numbers work is arriving fast. [Read more 🡒]