The Atlanta Hawks made what may very well be the best signing of the 2025 offseason when they added guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Alexander-Walker turned in a stellar first season with the Hawks, winning the Most Improved Player award as he raised his offensive game without sacrificing his defense.
Though the Minnesota Timberwolves had tough financial decisions to make last summer, letting Alexander-Walker leave via free agency has proven to be a devastating decision.
Alexander-Walker spent the better part of three seasons with the Timberwolves, helping the franchise make back-to-back Conference Finals appearances. He finished sixth in the voting for Sixth Man of the Year in 2024-25 and averaged 23.2 minutes per game during his three postseason appearances in Minnesota.
Unfortunately, the Timberwolves' depth was compromised when Alexander-Walker hit the open market at the same time as Naz Reid and Julius Randle.
Minnesota signed Reid to a five-year, $125 million contract, while Randle was brought back on a three-year, $100 million deal. Both moves were designed to preserve the strength of a top-tier interior rotation that played a direct role in the Timberwolves' postseason success.
That made Alexander-Walker an unfortunate second apron casualty. One simply can't help but feel as though the Timberwolves should've found a way to keep him after what he did in Atlanta.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker may be the best bargain contract player in NBA
Alexander-Walker joined the Hawks on a four-year, $60,647,200 contract. With an average salary of $15,161,800 and a fourth-year player option, it was widely accepted as somewhere between an only minor overpay and a fair deal for a solid veteran.
Alexander-Walker proved that neither evaluation was accurate, however, when he emerged as one of the Hawks' go-to scorers and most trusted defenders during his first season with the team.
Alexander-Walker finished the 2025-26 season with averages of 20.2 points, 3.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 3.2 three-point field goals made per game. He did so while shooting efficiently at a clip of .459/.399/.902. He also started 71 of his 78 appearances.
It was an unexpected development on several fronts, as Alexander-Walker started just 30 of his 187 appearances with the Timberwolves and averaged 9.4 points per game in 2024-25.
What he revealed in 2025-26, however, was that his role simply needed to change to unleash his full potential. His usage rate jumped from 15.5 to 23.0, and his field goal attempts increased from 10.7 per 36 minutes to 16.5. His field goal and three-point percentages, meanwhile, jumped by just 2.1 and 1.8 percent.
Considering the Timberwolves made a mid-season trade for Ayo Dosunmu in hopes of filling the void Alexander-Walker left behind, it's safe to say he's proven how much Minnesota misses him.
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