The Atlanta Hawks are sitting on a roster crunch, and it could force a move before July ends.
Atlanta already has 16 players after signing all three rookies to standard contracts, which puts the team over the 15-man limit it has to reach once the season starts. The Hawks can get there by waiving someone, but a trade feels like the more likely path. If they do go that route, a few names stand out.
Buddy Hield looks like the clearest candidate to go. He’s still a dangerous shooter, but his nearly $10 million salary for next season is steep, and he never found a real role after arriving from the Warriors.
Atlanta even guaranteed his deal, which made it seem like a trade might be coming soon, but nothing has happened yet. The fit is shaky too.
The Hawks have CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Kingston Flemings, Aaron Wiggins, and Devin Carter in the backcourt mix, so there isn’t much room for Hield to carve out minutes, especially with his defensive issues.
Corey Kispert is in a similar spot. He brings elite shooting, but his defense remains a problem and his contract is harder to move because it still has three years left on it.
Kispert played more than Hield, but by season’s end he had mostly slipped out of the rotation against the league’s best teams. Atlanta could hope for better shooting and some defensive growth with another year in the system, but moving him to open up space would not be a surprise.
Then there’s Zaccharie Risacher. The Hawks don’t appear eager to deal him, and if they can avoid it, Hield or Kispert are the likelier answers to the roster logjam.
Still, Risacher’s situation is worth watching because Atlanta has to decide on his $17.2 million team option for next season by October. If the Hawks don’t want that money on the books, they can decline the option and turn him into an expiring contract, or they can trade him and try to get something back.
Risacher also faded out of the rotation late in the season, and with no backup wing if Kuminga doesn’t return, Atlanta’s next move at that spot matters.
The question now is simple: can Risacher deliver the breakout year he needs in year three, or does Atlanta choose a different direction?
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Hawks Suddenly Hold Real Leverage In Growing Jonathan Kuminga Trade Talks
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Nothing is close to being finalized, and the whole situation still sits in the speculative stage, but the Hawks suddenly have a seat near the center of the table. Lakers executive Rob Pelinka has already been in contact with Kumingas agent, and Los Angeles has enough contracts and draft capital to keep working different angles. If Atlanta is going to facilitate anything, it will need to make sense on its own terms, which is where the real leverage comes in. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Offseason Winners And Losers Just Sparked A Bigger Debate
Atlantas offseason has already given Onsi Saleh a pretty clear footprint, with the Hawks keeping CJ McCollum, Jock Landale and Mouhamed Gueye in place while also bringing in Aaron Wiggins and Devin Carter and adding Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar in the draft. It is the kind of roster churn that invites instant grading, especially in a market that is always trying to figure out whether the front office is building for now, for later, or a little of both.
Kris Risacher is still on the roster despite the trade chatter that swirled around him, and the new mix around him could end up mattering more than any single move. The bigger question now is whether Atlanta has actually created the kind of environment that helps him settle in and grow, or whether the Hawks are still one unresolved roster decision away from changing the whole conversation again. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks May Be Watching One Last Impact Move Slip Away
The Hawks have been linked to Trey Murphy III as they continue searching for ways to add another impact piece around their core, but the path to getting him looks increasingly narrow. New Orleans has every reason to value a versatile wing like Murphy, and Atlantas interest has run into the kind of trade market reality that usually slows these conversations before they get serious.
Murphys price tag is part of the problem, and the Pelicans front office is also operating with an eye on future assets and flexibility. If New Orleans keeps leaning in that direction, Atlanta may simply have to move on and look for a more realistic upgrade elsewhere, even if Murphy had been the type of swing worth monitoring. [Read more 🡒]