The Atlanta Hawks set the stage for their offseason at the 2025 trade deadline, but there remains work to be done, and it will quickly come time to decide what to do with veterans Clint Capela, Larry Nance Jr., and Caris LeVert.
All three players are unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Their outlooks vary for myriad reasons, but there is an apparent consensus that the Hawks will need to choose between them.
“Shedding significant long-term salary at the deadline gave the Hawks wiggle room under the luxury tax but not cap space for this summer,” The Athletic’s Danne Leroux wrote on May 18. “Roughly $35 million under the tax makes it possible to use the nontaxpayer MLE and retain some of pending free agents Clint Capela, Caris LeVert and Larry Nance Jr., but it’s probably not enough to re-sign all three and use the MLE.”
LeVert has said he wants to return. Capela is expected to leave and Nance could follow given his role.
Leroux’s notes about the luxury tax and the individual players are separately significant, but also inherently linked to one another. The Hawks have long been tax-averse, particularly under owner Tony Ressler.
As such, moves that move them closer to that line must be closely examined.
The Hawks have some intriguing foundational pieces, with 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacaher and 2021 No. 20 pick Jalen Johnson leading the way.
Several other players’ contract situations also need addressing, though, including 2024-25 Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels, who is a restricted free agent this summer, and Trae Young, who has a player option for the 2026-27 season.
Hawks front office decision looming large over offseason planning
The Hawks are in a veritable holding pattern as they sort out their front office. Initial reports had them seeking the next agent-turned-executive after falling short with or not even getting a chance to woo figures like Bob Myers and Elton Brand.
They have also entertained letting newly-installed general manager Onsi Saleh retain the roster control that his predecessor, Landry Fields, had over the roster.
Then there is the future of head coach Quin Snyder.
After two-plus largely disappointing seasons, questions about Snyder’s future with the Hawks arose this offseason. There have not been any significant signs that Snyder or the Hawks are seeking changes in that regard.
However, just as a new lead executive would likely want to mold the Hawks’ roster in their image, they might also want to bring in “their guy” to run the show on the court.
Again, “their guy” may very well still be Snyder.
He is just one layer to the complex situation the Hawks face this offseason as the playoffs wear on without them. Contending teams tend to spend heavily, often into the luxury tax. But that does not mean teams must pay up before seeing signs of promise.