Through all the turmoil and success that the 2025-26 NBA season brought to Atlanta, one irrefutable fact was the progress the Hawks made. Making the Playoffs at 46-36 after having a 26-30 record at the All-Star break came with a tremendous amount of lessons, and now it's time to fortify their fortress for the 2026-27 season.
The Hawks need to finally bring in a quality enforcer
Hawks' General Manager Onsi Saleh left his imprint on the team in a few short months and even pulled some strings at the NBA trade deadline, saving their season. His debut in the front office resulted in a second-place finish for Executive Of The Year, right behind Boston's Brad Stevens.
It’s clear that Onsi changed the trajectory of the franchise, and the 2026 Free Agency class offers many skilled mercenaries to enlist in the Hawks’ new army. We know the biggest weakness for this young roster is their interior defense.
The best solution for their defensive issues is Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein. At 27 years old, the former second-round pick is averaging 11 points and eight rebounds for the defending champions in the playoffs.
Hartenstein shined during their first-round playoff series, where he shot 71% from the field as they swept Devin Booker and the Suns. Adding him to the Hawks' rotation gives Atlanta more size for future matchups against the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Not only do they add more size to the locker room, but it also gives the Hawks some much needed championship experience, taking pressure off other young veterans like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. If they’re unable to sign the German-American, there’s still plenty of serviceable names.
This is no weak free agency class or trade market
Although the paint defense is certainly the top priority, the Hawks can still add more shot creation and shooting to the team. They’ll likely add both with their lottery pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, but someone like Norman Powell would be a great addition for Atlanta.
If not Powell, then what about Jusuf Nurkic? Both are on affordable contracts from their respective ball clubs, and they will be unrestricted free agents. Unlike previous decades in the Hawks' front office, Atlanta plans to have a very busy offseason, and Saleh expressed his thoughts about their team construction during his exit interview.
“We’re not a single player away from being what we want to be. When I came here, the biggest thing was, ‘How do we become sustainable?’ We don't want to be the team that makes one run at it, and then it's back to square one. We gotta be smart about how we build this team, and the guys that we have now, they're just scratching the surface too,” Saleh said. “Jalen Johnson is going to be better. He's not in his prime. Dyson Daniels is going to be better. Zacch [Risacher], Asa [Newell], OO [Oneyka Okongwu], these guys are still so young, and we’re probably going to add two more 19-year-olds to this mix.”
It’s clear the Hawks finally have their identity after their youth propelled them into the postseason for the first time in three years. Now, they’ll have multiple opportunities to add more talent to their Playoff roster, and many believe Saleh will make the right decisions. They have no reason not to.
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