Atlanta Hawks veteran big man and pending free agent Larry Nance Jr. has been a fan favorite in every stop, but that should not scare his current team off from letting him explore his options this offseason.
Nance arrived at the Hawks as part of the trade sending Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2024 offseason.
Atlanta is his fifth NBA city in 10 seasons, and a key reason for that should inform the Hawks.
Nance has averaged just over 54 appearances per season in his career. He has never played more than 67 games. He set that mark in 2018-19, though he has made 65 (2022-23) and 61 appearances (2023-24) in more recent seasons.
Still, he is coming off a 24-game season with the Hawks, who are expected to make an effort to re-sign him this offseason, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
Nance is coming off a two-year, $21.6 million deal.
“While limited to 24 games this season, Nance Jr. was effective, averaging 8.5 points on 51.6 percent from the field and 44.7 percent on 3.2 attempts beyond the arc in 19.3 minutes. His locker room presence was also valued for a young Hawks team on the rise,” Scotto wrote. “With that said, Nance Jr. is expected to draw interest in the free agency market from teams looking for frontcourt help.”
The Hawks will have flexibility this offseason, even with a potential new contract for Caris LeVert, whom Atlanta acquired at the 2025 trade deadline.
They should still not fret if Nance courts other suitors.
Hawks might need to let Larry Nance Jr. walk in free agency
Nance struggled to see the floor consistently for the Hawks, leading him to suggest before the trade deadline that he would seek a greater role from head coach Quin Snyder. However, after an eight-game stretch, his longest of the campaign, Nance was done for the season.
Nance also posted the worst on-off efficiency differential among the 14 different Hawks players to qualify, per Cleaning The Glass.
The Hawks can want him back, and their rumored reasons are understandable.
Perhaps they figure he is worth more than a move that would theoretically push them closer to contention. Of course, such a decision would speak volumes about their view of self amid increasing speculation that they are exploring significant trade possibilities.
At any rate, the Hawks are in a position to upgrade their talent as they work towards turning themselves into true contenders, whenever that may be.
Nance turned 32 in January and remains athletic even at this point in his career.
Reliability must be a key tenet of the next iteration of the Hawks’ roster, though. Without that, no other skill set matters as much as it does on paper. And teams have the kind of flexibility the Hawks have, while still having the framework of a playoff team, so rarely, they must capitalize.