The Atlanta Hawks are coming off of one of the most demoralizing postseason exits in NBA history. They lost a decisive Game 6 to the New York Knicks by 51 points after dropping Game 5 by 29, and in the eyes of outsiders, have thus been sent back to the drawing board.
As a young team with clear signs of potential, however, the Hawks are drowning out the noise and committing to their young core rather than pursuing a trade for a superstar.
Atlanta ended a three-year postseason drought in 2025-26 after committing to a promising young core. It was a remarkably encouraging development after the franchise parted with long-time franchise player Trae Young.
According to Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic, the Hawks are unlikely to pursue a new superstar—Giannis Antetokounmpo included—and are instead exercising patience with their promising young core.
“As general manager Onsi Saleh seemed to signal during his end-of-season press conference, and team sources confirmed to The Athletic, the Hawks plan to be very patient with their young core and do not appear likely to pursue Antetokounmpo or any other superstar.”
It's a surprising stance considering the caliber of player Antetokounmpo clearly is, but the Hawks are committed to playing the long game and avoiding a repeat of the Trae Young era.
Hawks prioritizing young core over trade for a superstar
For as brilliant as Antetokounmpo may be, the Hawks have been down a road of this nature already. They prioritized star power with Young and built their roster to accommodate his strengths and weaknesses. It paid off, at times, but also overburdened the franchise player.
Antetokounmpo is admittedly in the highest tier imaginable from an individual perspective, but refusing to trade for a superstar is a clear endorsement of the quality of Atlanta's depth—and an acknowledgment of how it'd likely be broken up to complete a trade for a marquee player.
Jalen Johnson is a 24-year-old All-Star who joined Nikola Jokic as the only players to average at least 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game in 2025-26. In the backcourt, Dyson Daniels is a 23-year-old defensive ace who won the 2025 Most Improved Player award.
Onyeka Okongwu, meanwhile, is a 25-year-old two-way starting big who posted career-best numbers in points and assists per game in 2025-26. As if that weren't enough, 27-year-old Nickeil Alexander-Walker won the 2026 Most Improved Player award after averaging 20.8 points per game on .459/.399/.902 shooting while maintaining his high-level defensive quality.
There are still questions to be answered, but with a lottery pick coming their way, the Hawks may soon add yet another high-level up-and-comer to the group.
Hawks have a promising young core that it's too soon to disrupt
It's easy to point to a historic blowout in Game 7 or the general disappointment that stems from a first-round exit as a reason to trade for a superstar. As the modern NBA rewards depth more than ever before, however, giving up countless resources for a big name isn't quite as appealing as it used to be.
No one in their right mind would declare it to be an outright bad decision, but Atlanta is in a unique position with promising talent that's already proven to play well together.
There's a strong case to be made that the Hawks are a superstar away from contending, but with the group in place, they've already showed signs of promise. They ranked No. 7 in the NBA in net rating after Feb. 1 and won two playoff games against a Knicks side that leads its second-round series 3-0.
The time may come where the Hawks need to make the difficult decision to complete a trade for a superstar, but they're well within reason to prioritize a promising future at this juncture.
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