A Way-Too-Early Look at the Atlanta Hawks Playoff Chances

The NBA offseason comes and goes pretty quickly and there are few decisions left which will shape the playoff race. Lebron James, Jalen Duren, Peyton Watson, and Jonathan Kuminga are still available (though Duren and Watson are restricted free agents), but most teams have taken care of their business this summer.

The Atlanta Hawks have a roster crunch they need to solve (they have 16 players on their roster), but they have been busy bringing their own players back, nailing the draft, and making a couple of trades.

How have the Hawks moves changed their playoff outlook?

Assessing the Eastern Conference

CJ McCollum Atlanta Hawk — Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) shoots against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the Hawks were a top -six team at the end of last season, there is no guarantee that they are going to be back there, and it does not necessarily have anything to do with the quality of team that they have.

The Eastern Conference has improved quite a bit over the summer and if LeBron James were to choose Cleveland, Miami, or Philadelphia, that would make things even tougher.

The Knicks are the defending champions and are going to more or less run it back next season. New York is going to be missing Mitchell Robinson, which could really come back and haunt them in the postseason, but they should be a lock to finish near the top of the conference.

The Knicks are going to have competition though.

Philadelphia just added Jaylen Brown to a team that already had Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe, Toronto traded for Kawhi Leonard, and Miami made arguably the biggest move of the offfseason when they traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 76ers and Heat both finished behind the Hawks in the standings last season and Atlanta is going to have to hold them off if they want to stay there.

Another team that finished behind the Hawks was Indiana. The Pacers are getting Tyrese Haliburton back and added Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline in February. After making the Finals last summer, the Pacers should be back in the mix.

Detroit finished as the No. 1 seed in the East last season and while they have had a quiet offseason, they have a lot of elite young talent and should be right back in the mix next offseason.

Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando are other teams that are going to be fighting to make the playoffs and you could make a case for each of them to be in the top six. That is not even mentioning Charlotte and Washington.

Long story short, Atlanta is going to have to battle each and every night if they want to get back to the playoffs.

The Hawks are going to bank on internal improvement from players such as Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Will the depth of Kingston Flemings, Aaron Wiggins, Jock Landale, and the rest of the team be good enough to propel the Hawks back to the postseason?

I think the Hawks still have a shot to make the playoffs next season, but their odds have lowered after the offseason due to the rest of the Eastern Conference improving around them. Heading into 2026-2027, one can make the argument that Milwaukee, Chicago, and Brooklyn are the only teams in the conference that are not likely to make the postseason. That leaves 12 teams fighting for eight spots.

Atlanta is still a potential playoff team, but it won't be easy in what should be a stacked Eastern Conference race next season.

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