Who said the Atlanta Hawks were done making moves?
Now, it may not be a jaw-dropping blockbuster, but legally, they'll need to do at least one more thing before the 2026-27 season can begin.
They've signed rookies Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar to standard, multi-year deals, and they'll follow it up soon by locking in eigth-overall pick Kingston Flemings to one of his own.
Once all of those are finalized, they'll be at 16 rostered players, not including two-way contracts, putting them one above the established limit of 15 players per. Atlanta has a variety of ways they could go with navigating their now-loaded roster.
Some are more likely to be moved than others
The most natural, and likely player to be parting with the organization in the coming days, is Buddy Hield. Atlanta chose not to cut Hield at his decision deadline, bringing in his $9 million salary for the 2026-27 season, but many have reasonably speculated that a trade was in their minds when doing so.
If a deal was part of the agreement, though, it likely would've been completed by now. Perhaps, something set in stone fell out. It happens in the NBA, more often than people realize. If that's the case, they could always still land on a Hield deal, but if not, there are many other players currently on the roster that they would be justified in moving.
Zaccharie Risacher and Corey Kispert are both set to make over $13 million next season, and while taking on either of those contracts wouldn't be the most logical decision for many franchises, there are some that would benefit from taking an upside swing.
Risacher's contract would be easier to deal, especially considering that he can become expiring if they choose to decline his option for the 2027-28 season.
While there would likely be a very limited amount of suitors for Kispert's contract, he could be combined with other salary or draft assets to facilitate a deal.
Atlanta is keeping their options open as free agency hits a dry spell
The most important part of the free agency period is over with, and now all the Hawks really need to do is manage some of their tough internal decisions. The biggest, most anticipated league-wide moves are no longer holding up the market.
If the Hawks choose to re-sign Jonathan Kuminga, or sign-and-trade him to pick up additional assets, they'll have to part with yet another member of their roster in order to make room.
While it's not expected to be a blockbuster, the Hawks will have to make another move, or two, before the offseason can end.
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