Summer League is over, and the Atlanta Hawks are moving into the part of the calendar where the real roster questions get quieter, not smaller. The team still has work to do before training camp opens in late September, but the outline for next season is starting to come into focus.
One thing that did not change over the last couple of weeks: the Hawks’ starting five.
CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu still look locked in as the opening-night group, and nothing in Las Vegas pushed that off course. McCollum is set to run the offense as the lead guard, and Atlanta will lean on his scoring in halfcourt possessions. He remains one of the veteran voices in the room, but the Hawks would help themselves if more of the starting lineup can shoulder the scoring load instead of asking a soon to be 35-year old guard to carry so much of it.
Alexander-Walker is in position to build on his breakout season, and this time he’s expected to start from day one. That’s a change from last year, when he was projected as a bench piece.
He should be one of Atlanta’s best defenders, and his scoring took a real step forward a season ago. The next question is whether he can keep that level steady.
Daniels is one of the biggest swing factors in the group. If his offensive game keeps growing - not just the shot, but the finishing, the aggression at the rim and the ability to use that floater in the paint - Atlanta’s ceiling gets a lot more interesting.
He already brings value as a distributor and defender. The Hawks are hoping the scoring catches up.
Johnson is coming off an All-NBA season and his first All-Star nod, and even with the rough playoff series against the Knicks, there’s still more room to grow. The next step is clear: more reliable three-point shooting and more shot-making in the halfcourt, rather than depending so heavily on transition offense.
Okongwu also turned in a career-best season, and his impact goes beyond the box score. He became a real threat from three, while his rebounding and defense remain easy to overlook. Atlanta’s hope is simple here: stay healthy, and don’t force him to carry more than he should.
Behind that starting group, Summer League helped clarify a few things.
Kingston Flemings looks like the backup point guard. That was already the expectation, and his ability to organize the offense, distribute, and defend backed it up in Las Vegas.
Aaron Wiggins, one of Atlanta’s notable offseason additions, should also be in the nightly mix. The Hawks got him for two second-round picks, and he brings defense and shooting that could make him one of the best bench pieces on the roster.
Jock Landale is back as the backup center, and Atlanta needs him to keep producing in that role while also staying healthy, because the depth behind him is not exactly settled.
The rest of the roster is where things get messy.
Zaccharie Risacher, Corey Kispert, Buddy Hield, Devin Carter, Zuby Ejiofor, Mouhamed Gueye and Asa Newell are all in the same crowded group, and at least two of them should end up in the regular-season rotation. But there’s also a real chance that one or more are traded or waived as Atlanta cuts down to 15 players. Hield, Kispert and Gueye - especially after the injury news - are the names most likely to be squeezed.
Gueye was expected to be the backup power forward, but a foot injury this month changes the picture. He’ll be re-evaluated in 3-4 months, which knocks him out of training camp and preseason.
Because his deal is non-guaranteed, a waiver is on the table if Atlanta can’t find another move. His defense and cheap salary work in his favor, though, so that likely only becomes a real option if the Hawks can’t move Hield or Kispert.
The fact that Atlanta drafted Asa Newell last year and Zuby Ejiofor this year only adds to the pressure on that spot.
Risacher is a player the Hawks would love to see settle into the rotation, and Flemings could help him do that. Carter is an interesting fit, too.
He has shown real defensive ability, even if the offense still has to catch up, and a fresh start away from Sacramento might be exactly what he needs. Atlanta could use him as a defensive specialist and as a ball-handler if one of McCollum, Alexander-Walker or Daniels is unavailable.
Ejiofor was one of the most impressive Hawks in Summer League. His defense stood out, his shooting was better than expected, and his physicality plus his ability to defend multiple positions made a strong impression.
He came in as a developmental player, but he did enough to put himself in the conversation for rotation minutes. The preseason will matter a lot for him.
Newell didn’t dominate the way some might have expected, but the process was still there offensively, and the Gueye injury opens a path for him to get real minutes. Kispert and Hield could still be moved, and if they stay, it’s hard to see either of them playing a major night-to-night role.
As for Veesaar, he was solid in Summer League and has enough upside to get a look at some point during the season. Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he spends next year in the G-League.
In Other News...
Hawks Fans Just Got A Brutal Reminder About Their No. 1 Pick
The latest reminder for Hawks fans came from an odd bit of roster trivia around the league, where the Mavericks and Wizards now each have three No. 1 overall NBA draft picks on their books after recent trades. Dallas group includes Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg and Zaccharie Risacher, a collection that says as much about the churn of the modern NBA as it does about how quickly a teams long-term plans can change.
For Atlanta, the part that stings is less about the number and more about what it says about Risachers place in the picture. The Hawks moved on after his role had been reduced, and he barely featured in the 2026 playoffs, leaving a former top pick to become part of another teams talent pile rather than a centerpiece in Atlanta. [Read more 🡒]
Kingston Flemings Is About To Face His First Real Hawks Test
Kingston Flemings already got a taste of what the Hawks saw in him at summer league, where the No. 8 pick flashed the kind of skill set that made him such a high selection. Now the real work begins. Atlanta is bringing him into practice with the main squad, and the daily reps should tell the team a lot more about how quickly he can handle NBA speed, pressure and physicality.
Luguentz Dort gives Flemings one kind of problem, with his championship-tested edge and relentless defense. Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker bring their own complications, too, which is exactly why these sessions matter for a young guard trying to settle in. For a player like Flemings, the Hawks are not just looking for highlights anymore. They are looking for how he responds when every possession in practice feels like a test. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Are Stuck In A Kuminga Standoff That Just Got Bigger
Jonathan Kumingas path to the open market has already turned into one of the more complicated free-agent stories of the summer, and Atlanta is right in the middle of it. The Hawks declined his team option, which pushed him into free agency, and because no team currently has the cap space to simply pay what he wants, any serious pursuit has to come through a sign-and-trade. That leaves Atlanta with leverage, but also with a decision to make about whether it wants to keep engaging after reshaping its wing rotation in other moves.
For the Lakers, the chase has become more than just a one-player question. Their interest in Kuminga is ongoing, but they are also juggling other roster business, including a look at Matisse Thybulle, a possible two-way deal for Arthur Kaluma and a search for another assistant general manager. Even so, the Kuminga situation is the one that could most directly affect the Hawks, and for now it remains stuck in the kind of standoff that can drag on until one side blinks. [Read more 🡒]