The return of Hawks basketball is near.
Atlanta released their 2025 preseason schedule on Monday afternoon. Along with facing the Heat and Grizzlies, the Atlanta Hawks will take on the Houston Rockets twice, once at the beginning of preseason and once more at the end.
The schedule makers knew what they were doing with this one. These teams will only suit up against each other twice during the regular season, but this is a matchup that will bring in viewers no matter what. The amount of people tuning in will be even larger this year because of one simple trait both organizations share: front office competence.
Atlanta's new-look team has an early chance to prove they're contenders
Both the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets made national headlines this offseason due to their bold activity during the NBA Draft and free agency periods. Houston got the summer rolling with their acquisition of 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant, parting ways with Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks in the process. Green and Brooks were pivotal pieces to their 52-win season last year, but gaining one of the greatest scorers of all time in return for them is a risk any franchise should take.
After trading for Durant, the rest of their moves went under the radar, but they ended up having one of the better offseasons by a team in recent memory. They brought in defensive ace Dorian Finney-Smith, as well as long-time veteran and former Atlanta Hawk Clint Capela.
As for the Hawks, they also had an incredible offseason. The new front office re-shaped the roster around Trae Young and the rest of their young core. Bringing in Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard brought Atlanta the most positive media attention they have received in a long time.
Last season, Houston won both games against Atlanta, but each went down to the wire. The final matchup between the teams last year at State Farm Arena was almost an all-timer. Atlanta found themselves down by 20 entering the fourth quarter and miraculously came back to make it a close game.
In the midst of the comeback, Dillon Brooks pushed Trae Young in the back of the head, which somehow resulted in a double-technical, giving some unfair momentum to Houston. With a chance to tie the game, De'Andre Hunter missed a wide-open three, sealing the deal for the Rockets.
While neither Brooks nor Hunter are on their respective teams anymore, the matchups this season have a chance to be even more electric due to the pickups each organization made in the summer. The Hawks and Rockets have both reshaped their rosters, and these two preseason games could be a preview of the 2026 NBA Finals.