NBA announces revised preseason scheduling for Hawks amid Hurricane Milton

The Atlanta Hawks are facing the Indiana Pacers in the preseason opener for both teams. 

Earlier in the day, though, the NBA announced the Hawks’ second playoff game – a road date against the Miami Heat – is being rescheduled.

“The Atlanta at Miami game, originally scheduled for Thursday, October 10, will now be played on Wednesday, October 16 at 7:30 PM ET,” the NBA Communications social media team posted on X on October 8.

Miami is not in the current projected path for Hurricane Milton.

But Miami-Dade County remains under a tropical storm warning, per the Miami Herald’s Milena Malaver on October 8.

“For South Florida this not going to be a huge deal for us. We are going to be dealing with some rain. We are going to be dealing with some wind. But this is an event that we will get through just fine here locally,” CBS News Miami’s KC Sherman said, per The Washington Post’s Dan

Stillman on October 8.

Miami is in action on the road against another Southeastern Division rival, the Charlotte Hornets, to kick off their preseason. The additional time could give the Hawks enough of a grace period to get their full squad on the court.

Hawks missing notable veteran duo in preseason opener

It is not wise to draw any significant conclusions from the first preseason game. Doing so when they are missing a vital part of their rotation is futile.

That is the case with the Hawks in their preseason opener.

They did not have Bogdan Bogdanovic for the contest, as he rested following an extended summer schedule that included a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. He is healthy, though.

The same cannot exactly be said for Onyeka Okongwu, who sat out as he continues to ramp up from toe surgery in April. 

They will have a significant impact on the Hawks’ rotation.

The Hawks were also without Cody Zeller and Nikola Djurisic for very different reasons. The veteran, Zeller, is in limbo as Hawks general manager Landry Fields explained they are still working through his situation.

Zeller is in Year 1 of a three-year, $11.5 million contract. But the Hawks have a glut of centers – he was an add-in in the Dejounte Murray trade – and are not a sure-fire playoff contender.

A different opportunity may be of more interest to Zeller.

Hawks rookie Nikola Djurisic was also a no-go and not with the team. He is not under contract and Fields said the 6-foot-7 playmaking wing is a likely draft-and-stash. It is just part of the ongoing state of flux the Hawks’ roster is in.