As the 2027 NBA season inches closer, the Atlanta Hawks find themselves in a great dilemma: they have too much talent for one roster. With 17 players currently on the active roster, Atlanta will be forced to meet the 15-player roster limit before training camp starts on September 29.
This roster crunch comes after a highly successful offseason for the Hawks - one that saw them bring in several key contributors.
With the addition of those players, along with their young core that's already built a solid foundation of continuity, this leaves two players with the unfortunate reality that they will soon be cut or traded, and no player tops that list higher than Buddy Hield.
Hield, whom the Hawks acquired via trade back in February, was brought in to be a light contributor, and he played this role to a tee, adding efficient shooting to a Hawks team that was fighting hard for a playoff spot down the stretch.
However, with the acquisitions of Dort and Wiggins, Hield's role is inevitably getting pushed down the depth chart, to the point where cutting him seems to be the smarter financial decision to make. At 33 years old, Hield is set to garner close to $10 million of the Hawks' cap space in 2027.
The second name to look out for regarding roster cuts is a bit more difficult to pinpoint. Reports hypothesize that this second player could be Devin Carter, whom the Hawks just recently traded for last month, but with that equity already being spent to bring Carter in, there's another candidate that makes a lot more sense.
Corey Kispert should be on his way out
Corey Kispert was brought in as an additional piece in Atlanta's trade for CJ McCollum back in January.
While Kispert showed spurts of production throughout the back-half of the season, CJ McCollum was making the most of this new chapter for him.
On top of faulty production, Kispert also has a $13 million salary that would further tempt Atlanta to test the market on him. If Atlanta were able to ship Kispert in exchange for capital that can be used in 2027, this opens up Atlanta's contention window all-the-more.
Devin Carter being shipped instead is still a viable option for the Hawks to choose, but given the recency of his acquisition and the financial demands that Kispert warrants, it seems like he would be the easier player to let go of.
These decisions won't be easy for the Hawk's front office, but they are necessary decisions to make. Atlanta has high aspirations going into 2027, looking to capitalize off of their strong end to their 2026 campaign. With the young core already established, it's now up to the Hawks to figure out which pieces will compliment this core to reach their fullest potential.
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