The Hawks were already one of the few teams that could make life uncomfortable for the Knicks in last season’s playoffs. Now they’ve added more fuel to the fire.
Atlanta’s offseason moves have quietly made them a more serious problem for New York’s championship repeat hopes, especially after the team’s recent work with the Thunder. The Hawks brought in wing Aaron Wiggins earlier this month, then added veteran Lu Dort, and both moves point in the same direction: a deeper, tougher roster that looks built to make another run at the Knicks.
Wiggins gives Atlanta a needed scoring jolt off the bench. Over the last two seasons, he averaged 10.8 points while shooting 37.1 percent from deep, and that kind of steady production matters for a second unit that was stuck near the bottom of the league last year. Atlanta’s bench offense ranked 17th in points per game at 36.6 and 21st in offensive rating at 55.4.
Dort is the bigger swing on the other end. The Hawks already finished in the top 10 in defensive rating at 112.9, and adding an established All-Defensive player only sharpens that edge. He also brings experience from anchoring the league’s top-ranked defense, which gives Atlanta another proven piece to lean on when the games tighten up.
That’s what makes this so interesting from New York’s perspective. Of all the teams the Knicks ran through on their way to the 2026 title, Atlanta was the one that gave them the toughest first-round fight. The Hawks were the team that pushed them, and in some ways helped harden them for the title run that followed.
And the numbers from that postseason series underline how much trouble Atlanta already caused. As they were built last season, the Hawks handed the Knicks more playoff losses than Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell, and Victor Wembanyama did combined.
Now Atlanta has layered in two more proven role players with championship experience, and that’s enough to make them look even more dangerous than they did a year ago. For a Knicks team trying to defend its crown, that’s a development worth watching closely.
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For the Knicks, the issue is not abstract. Their decision to avoid crossing the second apron has already carried basketball consequences, including the loss of Mitchell Robinson, who is now on a three-year deal elsewhere. Across the league, other front offices are making similar calculations, and Oklahoma Citys recent move to get under the line only underscored how aggressively teams are treating that cap marker. The Knicks may not be alone in feeling the squeeze, but they know exactly what it costs when the bill comes due. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Suddenly Have A New Center Problem After Cisse Twist
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Sharps appeal is pretty clear for a team looking for low-risk size: he was the G League Defensive Player of the Year and showed flashes in limited Summer League minutes with 7.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. New York is still sorting through its options, but the idea of using a two-way spot on a defender with that kind of length gives the front office another path if the center market keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]