Atlanta Hawks general manager Landry Fields said he is comfortable taking the current roster into the 2024-25 regular season.
Whether or not Fields and Co. have an appetite for sticking with the group will hinge on how it starts the campaign. A rocky start could pave the way for more substantial changes during the season at the trade deadline.
There are a few players who stand out as potential trade candidates if the season stalls.
Clint Capela’s expiring contract could appeal to contending teams
The Hawks are three deep at center with Clint Capela, top backup Onyeka Okongwu, and reserve Cody Zeller. They also have starting power forward Jalen Johnson and his presumed top backup Larry Nance Jr., both of whom could log minutes at the pivot spot.
Okongwu is starting a four-year, $61.9 million contract while Johnson is due for a big payday after his breakout season in 2023-24 and the promise of 2024-25.
Nance and Zeller from the New Orleans Pelicans arrived in the Dejounte Murray trade.
Capela, who is in the final year of a two-year, $46 million pact, could be the odd man out if the Hawks struggle out of the gates. They held on to him in the Murray talks. But they would have to weigh the risk of him signing elsewhere in 2025 as an unrestricted free agent.
The other issue is potentially overpaying a consistent player, averaging a double-double in seven straight seasons, but one who is also offensively limited.
Capela also shot 57.1% from the floor in 2023-24, the second-lowest mark of his career.
Capela’s name has come up in trade talks besides with the Pelicans. The Hawks have held onto him so far, so it is not out of the question that he could remain regardless of how the season plays out.
But there will be interest if he is healthy when the trade deadline rolls around in February, the Hawks would just have to make the final call.
De’Andre Hunter could be on notice after Zaccharie Risacher pick
The Hawks’ ideal starting lineup around Trae Young would feature plenty of defensive versatility, so De’Andre Hunter could very well reprise his role with the first five alongside Capela, and 2024 trade pickup Dyson Daniels, another piece of the return from the Murray trade.
But rookie No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher could push Hunter, who has also proven capable in a bench role.
Hunter averaged a career-high 15.6 points per game in 2023-24.
He also shot a career-best 38.5% from beyond the arc. However, Hunter has also dealt with injuries in his career, appearing in 57 games in 2023-24. He appeared in a career-high 67 games in 2022-23, adding 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.
In Year 2 of a four-year, $90 million contract, he could be a more likely 2025 offseason trade candidate.
He could also be a piece a contender feels helps complete their roster with two-way play.
Risacher has to prove he can play at the NBA level to legitimately push Hunter for his starting role. The rookie could also find himself starting at shooting guard depending on how the Hawks view Daniels and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Hunter has been the Hawks’ best two-way player, though Daniels could challenge him as their best defensive player.
That plus his contract could make him difficult to part with.
But like the other players on this list, Hunter’s name has come up in trade rumors in recent months. Whether or not the Hawks are finally ready to actually trade him, especially during the season, remains unclear.
Larry Nance Jr. has already drawn trade interest since landing with Hawks
Capela is not the only Hawks big man who might want to be on alert when the trade winds start to blow.
“The Hawks have been trying to trade Clint Capela for more than a year, but league sources say that the Atlanta big man drawing the most external interest is newly acquired Larry Nance Jr.,” The Stein Line’s Marc Stein wrote on July 11 (subscription required). “Word is Nance, who came to the Hawks in the recent Dejounte Murray trade, is being chased by multiple teams in need of proven size.”
The Hawks’ social media team shared two hype videos after trading Murray to the Pelicans to introduce their new players: one for Daniels and the other for Nance. The 31-year-old Nance averaged 5.7 points, 5.0 boards, and 1.9 assists in 2023-24.
He also shot 41.5% from beyond the arc on 1.1 attempts per game.
Like Capela, Nance is on an expiring contract in the final year of a two-year, $21.5 million deal and could walk for nothing in free agency in 2025.
There is also the matter of the logjam in the frontcourt with five players already in line for frontcourt minutes and several others who could moonlight there as well. He also may not fit this current group’s timeline, with many of the core pieces 26 years old or younger.
Veteran leadership is also important.
Moving Nance would not only take away from that, but it would also diminish some of the lineup versatility rostering the veteran comes with.