The NBA offseason has slowed down after a frantic couple of weeks, and the conference races for next season are starting to take shape. While the Western Conference is thought to be superior to the Eastern Conference, the East has gotten significantly deeper this offseason.
A lot of focus was placed on other teams in the East making big moves, but the Atlanta Hawks are hoping that retention, smart drafting, and a couple of under the radar trades will make them a better and deeper team.
The Hawks have brought back CJ McCollum, Jock Landale, and Mouhamed Gueye, drafted Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar, while also trading for Devin Carter and Aaron Wiggins.
But those moves have left the Hawks with 16 players on their roster and they can only carry 15 during the season. What are three moves the Hawks need to make before training camp starts?
1. Trade Buddy Hield and Corey Kispert
Atlanta has $37.4 million tied up in Buddy Hield, Corey Kispert, and Zaccharie Risacher, three players whose roles are uncertain heading into the 2026-2027 season.
This Hawks front office has made smart moves over the course of the last two offseasons, but that is not ideal asset allocation for a roster.
It was a surprise when the Hawks guaranteed Buddy Hield’s contract for the season. They could have saved $6 million and had a free roster spot.
Kispert has three years remaining on his contract and is not going to be an easy player to move, but seeing as how he fell out of the rotation towards the end of the season and was not used in the playoffs, despite the Hawks having a clear depth problem against the Knicks.
Both players bring value as shooters, but are major defensive liabilities that are overpaid. The Hawks should do what they can to try, and move both of these players before training camp begins.
2. Re-sign Jonathan Kuminga
While the talk around Kuminga has been about the Lakers, it makes plenty of sense for the Hawks to bring back Kuminga. The Lakers, Cavaliers, and Bucks all appear to be interested in signing Kuminga, but unless he takes a major pay cut, they will have to acquire him via sign-and-trade.
To do that though, the Hawks would have to agree to the sign-and-trade. Unless it actually benefits them to do so, don’t expect the Hawks to agree to that.
While Kuminga was inconsistent, he was the Hawks best player off the bench and even flashed some defensive upside that he did not show previously with Golden State. If the Hawks can find a way to move Hield and Kispert, they should bring back Kuminga on a deal to see if he can continue to grow with this team.
3. Extend Onyeka Okongwu
The Hawks have their “core four” of Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Onyeka Okongwu locked up on favorable contracts for the next few seasons, but Okongwu will only have two years left on his deal when the season starts and is extension eligible starting in October.
While one could argue that the Hawks still need to find another frontcourt partner to pair with Okongwu, he is a very good player and his skillset meshes well with the rest of the talent on the roster. He has improved a lot as a three-point shooter and is a much better defender than given credit for.
Okongwu can sign a three-year extension for $76 million when the calendar turns to October and I think the Hawks should look to lock him up for the future.
