The Atlanta Hawks have had one of the most active offseasons in the entire NBA, and it has resulted in them having one of the best rosters on paper in the Eastern Conference.
Things got started with the big three-team trade that landed the Hawks Kristaps Porzingis and they continued into the actual free agent period. Atlanta signed arguably the top free agent on the market when they inked former Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a four-year $62 million deal and then free agent sharpshooter Luke Kennard signed a one-year 11$ million deal.
The biggest move for the Hawks, though, was on draft night. After trading the No. 22 pick to the Nets in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Atlanta was left with the No. 13 pick in the draft. The Hawks were able to move back from 13 to 23 in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, and in return, the Hawks got an unprotected 2026 first-round pick that will be the most favorable of New Orleans or Milwaukee. There is a chance that the pick ends up being a top-five or higher selection.
The Hawks have received near-universal praise for the work they have done this offseason, and the latest comes from Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes:
The first of many Atlanta Hawks offseason victories was all about opportunism. They capitalized on the Boston Celtics’ selloff by acquiring Kristaps Porzingis in a deal that also allowed them to offload the remaining three years and $47 million on Terance Mann’s contract.
Health will be a huge question for Porzingis, but Atlanta’s risk is low. KP has only one year and $30.1 million left on his deal and could dramatically outperform that figure if he returns to form as a floor-spacing, shot-blocking, mismatch-busting weapon.
The Hawks also took Nickeil Alexander-Walker into a $25 million trade exception from last summer’s Dejounte Murray deal. His new contract will pay him just a bit more than the mid-level exception, a terrific rate for a starting-caliber guard whose defense, ball-handling and shooting all complement the incumbent core.
Neither those moves nor the shrewd acquisition of sniper Luke Kennard came close to the true coup de grâce: the heist of a draft-night trade that netted Atlanta the better of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s unprotected 2026 first-round picks.
That selection could easily land in the top five next June, and all it cost the Hawks was a slide from 13th to 23rd in the 2025 draft.
All told, the Hawks picked up three high-end rotation options while also snagging the best future draft asset to change hands all summer.”
So what kind of grade does this new look Hawks front office deserve? Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey handed them a 4.1 GPA average for the work they did:
New Additions: A+
“The Atlanta Hawks wisely took advantage of the Boston Celtics’ need to unload salary and added Kristaps Porziņģis in a trade that only cost them Georges Niang, Terance Mann and a second-round pick. That alone may have secured them a high mark, but adding Nickeil Alexander-Walker to the bench in a sign-and-trade was another coup. And the Hawks suddenly feel both better and deeper.”
Continuity: A
“Atlanta lost multiple rotation players, including Clint Capela, Caris LeVert, Mann and Niang, but all the most important pieces are coming back. Trae Young is still the orchestrator. He’s still surrounded by developing length and athleticism from Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Jalen Johnson. And that already intriguing core is now better supported elsewhere on the roster.”
Draft: A
“Asa Newell could very well end up being an important part of that younger group. The 6’11” big man was the 11th-ranked recruit in his high school class, and Atlanta got him at No. 23. But the bigger reason the Hawks finish with straight A’s is their draft-night trade to move down 10 spots and secure an unprotected first from the New Orleans Pelicans in 2026. Given the Pelicans’ recent track record, that could very well be the first overall selection next summer.”
I think this is a very fair grade and it these new additions should vault the Hawks near the top of the Eastern Conference if they can stay healthy.
