The Hawks spent the offseason making a very specific bet: get younger, add internal growth, and build through smaller upgrades instead of swinging for a star. Atlanta followed that script closely, and the result is a roster that looks deeper, tougher, and more physical heading into a more crowded Eastern Conference.
June brought Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar in the draft. CJ McCollum and Jock Landale were re-signed.
Then came the trades for Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Devin Carter, and Ryan Nembhard. The only real cloud hanging over the whole operation is the roster crunch the front office still has to sort through.
That matters because the Hawks’ offseason didn’t just change the team - it also changed the shape of the competition inside the roster. And that creates clear winners and a couple of players who could find themselves squeezed out.
Jalen Johnson looks like the biggest beneficiary. One way to read Atlanta’s approach is that the front office wants to find out whether Johnson can grow into a No. 1 option on a contender. The Hawks passed on star-chasing and instead built around him with more talent and depth, giving him a better stage to prove it.
Johnson already put together the best season of his career in 2025-2026. He made his first All-Star team, earned Third-Team All-NBA honors, and finished second in the league in triple-doubles behind only Nikola Jokic. Still, his playoff series against the Knicks drew criticism, and some people wondered whether he can really be the top guy on a team with serious ambitions.
That series was rough, but it was also his first time in that kind of role. Atlanta was better, but it was still a flawed group facing the future world champions. The Hawks now get another chance to see what Johnson looks like with a more complete supporting cast around him.
Quin Snyder is another clear winner. Since taking over as head coach, he has worked through a lot of roster chaos - the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray pairing, the aftermath of Murray’s departure, and last season’s constant changes. The year began with hopes that Young, Johnson, and Kristaps Porzingis could carry Atlanta to the playoffs, but Young was traded in January and the team shifted again.
Snyder hasn’t been perfect through all of it, but he has kept navigating whatever the Hawks have thrown at him. Now he has a more balanced group that should defend well and has enough upside to make some noise in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta rewarded him with an extension this offseason, a pretty clear sign of trust in where he can take this thing.
On the other side of the ledger, Mouhamed Gueye has to be mentioned as a possible loser through no fault of his own. He suffered a foot injury this offseason and will at least miss training camp and the preseason. Even if he’s ready by the start of the season, there’s no guarantee he’s on the roster or has a place in the rotation.
The roster crunch makes that especially tricky. Gueye is on a non-guaranteed deal, which puts him in real danger of being a roster casualty. The Hawks would probably like to keep him because of his defensive ability, but they also drafted Asa Newell and Zuby Ejiofor as future frontcourt pieces.
Until the front office makes its next move, Gueye’s status has to be considered uncertain. He could be on the outside looking in when the season begins, or he could simply lose his spot.
Cory Kispert is in a similar spot. After coming over from the Wizards, he bounced in and out of the rotation. The shot was there - he could make threes - but his defense kept hurting him, and by the postseason he was unplayable.
Now he’s another candidate to be moved because of the roster crunch. Even if he stays, the path to minutes looks thin after the additions of Dort and Wiggins.
Atlanta may still need shooting, but Kispert could be buried near the end of the bench if he’s still around when the season starts. There’s always a chance he earns his way back into the picture, but that seems unlikely right now.
In Other News...
Hawks Tied To Jonathan Kuminga Move That Could Swing A Contender
The summer churn around Jonathan Kuminga has narrowed to the point where the market is watching just two familiar contenders, and the ripple effect could still be felt beyond the teams directly involved. For the Hawks, the importance is less about which club lands him and more about how a possible sign-and-trade in this range can reshape the balance of power for another playoff hopeful in a conference already crowded with teams trying to retool on the fly.
Kumingas next move is expected soon, with the sign-and-trade structure adding a layer of complexity because any deal would require a longer commitment from the forward. The Lakers have been viewed as the preferred landing spot, but the Timberwolves remain in the mix, and with both teams having already made meaningful changes to their rosters this offseason, the decision could determine which contender gets the extra piece it has been chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Still Have Tough Roster Decisions Ahead Of Opening Night
With opening night approaching, Atlanta is still carrying a crowded roster and the front office has some trimming to do before the season begins. The Hawks need to get down to 15 standard-contract players, which means a few names near the end of the group are going to be squeezed out as the team sorts through recent performance, contract considerations and overall fit.
A few players have emerged as the ones most likely to be moved or let go as the roster gets finalized, and that makes the last stretch of camp worth watching closely. For Atlanta, the question is not just who survives the cut, but whether the answer comes through a trade or a straight release, leaving one more layer of uncertainty before the season opener. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Are Betting Their Biggest Weakness Wont Derail Them Again
Atlanta spent the 2026 playoffs living with a problem it could not quite solve, and it showed up in the frontcourt when depth became a real issue after Jock Landale went down with a season-ending injury. The Hawks are trying to make sure that kind of roster squeeze does not define another spring, with Onyeka Okongwu still central to the rotation and the team clearly focused on having more options behind him.
The front office has already started to address it by bringing in young size, adding rookie centers Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar to the mix. It is the kind of practical, sometimes unglamorous roster planning that can matter most in April, because the Hawks know better than most that one injury can change the shape of a postseason run. [Read more 🡒]