The NBA regular season is just one week away. The offseason concluded in the blink of an eye.
All focus can't be on the season opener, however, as the Atlanta Hawks still have one preseason game left to play. Some teams get four games, some get six, but the Hawks are right at the sweet spot of five.
Their last battle before the regular season gets going will take place in Dallas, and while a full-scale dress rehearsal ahead of opening night would be fun, it appears they're preparing for either a stacked injury report or an early pull for those expected to be in the main rotation.
Atlanta made an extremely late offseason move - similar to what they've done for weeks
In what appears to be their final Ex. 10 signing of the offseason - the Hawks have inked forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili to a deal.
Hawks have signed forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili ahead of their preseason finale.
— Zach Langley (@ZachLangleyNBA) October 14, 2026
This move comes just a day after the team requested waivers on Isaac McKneely - the 22-year-old guard who made his preseason debut on Monday against Oklahoma City.
The entire point of signing players to Ex. 10 deals, even this late into the offseason, is to eventually release them and retain their G League rights. McKneely, along with Kobe Johnson, Cameron Corhen and now Bezhanishvili, will likely spend the 2026-27 season with the College Park Skyhawks.
It won't stop them from getting a fair shot in the preseason, though. Some nights, they'll get more run than others. In games where the staff wants to see continuity from their regular rotation, they won't see the floor until late in the second half, but in any other circumstance, this is the time for these guys to shine.
Bezhanishvili being picked up just one day ahead of their preseason finale against the Mavericks points to him potentially seeing minutes. If he does, Atlanta has likely seen everything they needed to see from the starting group.
Hawks have little reason to play the main guys on Thursday
It would make sense for a team made up of mostly newcomers to suit up their main guys for most of the preseason, even in the finale, but the Hawks aren't among those squads.
They're running it back with mostly the same group from last year, aside from a few key bench additions.
They've impressed in the preseason with a 3-1 record. With one game left to play, there's no reason to risk being beaten up entering the highly-anticipated year.
Bezhanishvili could soon get an opportunity to shine.
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