After finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference in 2023/24, the Hawks entered the 2024/25 postseason with a 40-42 record, good for No. 8 in the East. Atlanta didn’t advance to the playoffs in either year — the team was quickly eliminated by Chicago in the 9/10 play-in game in ’23/24, then lost consecutive games at Orlando and vs. Miami in the 2025 play-in tournament.
Rather than being content with the current roster, new general manager Onsi Saleh recognized changes were necessary last offseason and completed multiple trades with an eye on both the present and the future. The first major domino was trading last year’s No. 13 overall pick (Derik Queen) to New Orleans for the 23rd pick (Asa Newell) and the most favorable of the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ 2026 first-round picks.
It was a controversial trade from New Orleans’ perspective, and the Pelicans and Bucks both missed the playoffs, giving Atlanta a 40.2% chance at a top-four pick in what’s widely considered a loaded draft. However, the Hawks instead moved down a spot from No. 7 to No. 8 at the draft lottery, as New Orleans was leapfrogged by Chicago while Milwaukee’s pick remained at No. 10.
The eighth pick in a strong draft is still an excellent asset, but not moving into the top four (or even just staying at No. 7) is slightly disappointingm given the potential high-end outcome in a class that’s widely viewed as having at least three elite prospects and potentially a few more beyond that. The Hawks also control the 23rd pick in next week’s draft (via Cleveland); there has been speculation they might look to move that selection.
Back to last offseason: the Hawks also traded Terance Mann, Georges Niang and the No. 22 overall pick (Drake Powell) to acquire Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team deal with Boston and Brooklyn. Then they picked up a future second-round pick and a traded player exception when they signed-and-traded Clint Capela to Houston, acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a sign-and-trade (they gave up a second-rounder) with Minnesota, and added Luke Kennard in free agency on a one-year, $11MM deal.
Atlanta’s front office decided against extending four-time All-Star Trae Young last summer and also tabled extension talks with Porzingis until the team could evaluate how that duo fit together. But Young sprained his knee early in 2025/26 and only ended up playing 10 games for the Hawks this season, while Porzingis was limited to just 17 appearances.
Young, who holds a $49MM player option for next season, was traded to the Wizards in January in a deal that brought back CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. McCollum is extension-eligible through June 30 and will be an unrestricted free agent if a deal isn’t reached, while Kispert has three years and $40MM remaining on his contract (the last of those three years is a team option).
That turned out to be the first in a series of dominoes to fall, as the Hawks were quite busy ahead of the February deadline. Porzingis was traded to the Warriors for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield; Kennard was sent to the Lakers for Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick; Vit Krejci was moved to the Blazers for a pair of second-rounders; and the Hawks acquired Jock Landale from Utah for cash.
The series of transactions resulted in a significant amount of roster turnover and also significantly improved results down the stretch. The 27-31 Hawks were in the lower end of play-in territory after a blowout loss at Miami on February 20, but they secured a guaranteed playoff berth before the final game of the regular season by reeling off a 19-5 record down the stretch.
There was a minor controversy prior to the final game, as the Hawks decided to rest all of their regulars when they had the chance to clinch the No. 5 seed to face the No. 4 Cavaliers rather than the No. 3 Knicks. They lost their regular season finale and the Raptors moved up to No. 5 while Atlanta moved down to No. 6. The Hawks went up 2-1 in their first-round matchup against the Knicks, who proceeded to reel off the final three games of that series in lopsided fashion to kick off a 15-1 run that culminated in their first NBA championship since 1973.
