The Atlanta Hawks will open training camp with 20 players on the roster.
They will only be allowed to enter the 2024-25 regular season with 15 players, and most if not all of those slots are already spoken for.
However, there is at least a decent chance the Hawks take a step back this season after trading an All-Star-caliber talent and not getting another to replace him. If that happens, more changes could be in order and the Hawks have several potential trade candidates on the roster.
So which ones are most likely to be donning different uniforms after the trade deadline?
Larry Nance Jr.’s trade value could outweigh potential on-court contributions for Hawks
First up on our list is Larry Nance Jr., and the reasons for his inclusion are fairly obvious. Nance is a versatile big man capable of playing the 4 and 5 spots and has moonlighted as a 3 when the situation called for it.
He is also on a manageable contract, carrying an $11.2 million cap charge in 2024-25.
However, Nance is also 31 years old and in the final year of a two-year, $21.5 million contract with unrestricted free agency on the horizon barring a long-term deal.
An extension with the Hawks seems unlikely for reasons other than his age and contract too. He spoke candidly about having pre-existing ties to every team but the Hawks during an appearance on “The Hoop Collective.”
Nance has also been open about wanting to return to Cleveland when his playing days end.
He did not say that was coming soon. But the writing appears to be on the wall for the Hawks already, and being proactive could benefit them more than what they would get from Nance.
To be clear: Nance would be a useful contributor. He averaged 5.7 points, 5.0 boards, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steals per game for the New Orleans Pelicans, connecting on a career-high 41.5% of his looks from beyond the arc in 2023-24.
But he can only help raise the floor so much and does not elevate the team’s ceiling.
Nance is bought in, knowing that some teams in the Eastern Conference would rather focus on the 2025 NBA Draft and saying the Hawks are not among them.
It still makes plenty of business sense for the Hawks to find a new home for Nance by the February trade deadline. Otherwise, they might get similar modest contributions from Nance only to lose him for nothing in free agency next summer.
Hawks at crossroads with Clint Capela
Clint Capela has been a valued member of the Hawks’ core going on five seasons. He is one of five remaining members from the 2020-21 squad that made a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Capela has also been a voice of reason over what has been a tumultuous two seasons, speaking in defense of former Hawks head coach Nate McMillan after the latter got fired.
Capela has also been consistent, posting his seventh straight double-double season in 2023-24.
Even as his metrics dropped, Capela proved his value to the team, which is often felt most when he is not on the floor. The Hawks are 142-133 with Capela in the lineup and 19-24 when he is out since he arrived in 2020, per Statmuse.
However, Capela also carries many of the hallmarks of a player the Hawks should be looking to move on from.
His two-year, $46 million contract expires after the 2024-25 season.
He also hit the dreaded 30-year-old threshold and has already dealt with injuries and declining production over the past three seasons from a rebounding standpoint. And with already-limited offensive range, he posted the second-worst field goal percentage of his career in 2023-24.
Capela’s statistical production is fine for a backup (see: Andre Drummond). But his salary is too high for that role.
Meanwhile, his backup Onyeka Okongwu is also on the cusp of being too expensive for his role.
Okongwu is starting a four-year, $61.9 million contract. There has long been a push to get him into the starting lineup but myriad issues – health, foul troubles, Capela – have prevented that from happening.
The Hawks, already in the midst of a significant transition, likely only have until the trade deadline to make a move with Capela.
An extension is risky and while a sign-and-trade is possible, it is far from a given.
Kobe Bufkin could follow another Hawks former 1st-round pick out the door
For vastly different reasons, 2023 first-round pick Kobe Bufkin is in danger of suffering the same fate as his 2022 counterpart, AJ Griffin. The Hawks traded Griffin to the Houston Rockets over the 2024 offseason after he fell out of head coach Quin Snyder’s rotation.
Griffin also dealt with personal issues and has stepped away from basketball. Bufkin has not gone through that. But he has not proven as effective as the former Hawk did.
Put simply: Bufkin could prove more valuable in a trade than he has on the floor so far.
The Hawks’ offseason moves have all but rendered Bufkin redundant as it is, with Dyson Daniels figuring to log plenty of reps on the ball in relief of Trae Young. Daniels also provides the defense Bufkin projects to offer when healthy.
However, Bufkin has been unable to stay healthy, keeping him from proving his flashes are legitimate. They could be enough to entice a team looking to rebuild, though.
Let the players tell it, the Hawks are not one of those teams.
Bufkin is unlikely to deliver the kind of return to lift the Hawks in a deal by himself. But he could serve as a de facto first-round pick for the Hawks as part of trade package to land a more proven player.
A move like that would likely mean the Hawks are indeed one of the surprises of the season and looking to bolster their playoff contention.
Bufkin is the least likely Hawks trade candidate on this list. But he is (or should be) a candidate.
If the Hawks get out of the gates slowly, that would certainly change the math on who should go and who should stay. Bufkin would be a player the Hawks could look to give time to in that scenario, which remains unlikely due to the Hawks lacking control of their future draft picks.