Are The Atlanta Hawks Quietly Building Up To Go Star Hunting in 2027-28?

After the Philadelphia 76ers signed LeBron James to a two-year deal, the Atlanta Hawks are clearly lagging behind the best of the Eastern Conference in terms of star power.

Three of the best teams all have clearly established first and second options. The New York Knicks just rode Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns to a title, the Boston Celtics have a re-tooled roster behind Jayson Tatum and Paul George and the Cleveland Cavaliers have a trio of stars in Donovan Mitchell, James Harden (assuming he re-signs) and Evan Mobley.

Philadelphia is the outlier in the conference with four players in their starting lineup who have made an All-NBA team in Tyrese Maxey, LeBron, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown.

It remains to be seen whether the Philadelphia experiment of stacking these particular stars onto one team is going to result in a championship. Even so, the Hawks are eventually going to have to identify their long-term first option in the playoffs.

Jalen Johnson got a taste of it this season, and even though he drew a tough opponent, the lack of ability to consistently create half-court offense was glaring at times. Additionally, Johnson's defense suffered throughout the regular season because he was shouldering such a heavy offensive burden, and it didn't get better in the playoffs.

The upcoming season is going to be critically important for figuring out whether Johnson can be the No. 1 offensive option. However, if he doesn't show signs of progress, the Hawks are well-positioned to find players who can take some offensive burden off of Johnson's shoulders.

Cap Space

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, CJ McCollum, McCollu — Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) reacts during the first quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the upcoming season, the Hawks have around $52 million in expiring salary. CJ McCollum, Lu Dort and Jock Landale are all coming off the books. That means the Hawks could essentially just let these players finish their contracts, sign none of them, and then re-allocate that cap space into one or two players.

Furthermore, they can also salary dump Buddy Hield's contract at the deadline or next summer to create even more room. His $9.6 million cap hit could be enough to free up additional space.

They've fortified the roster well with players who could theoretically replace these players. Kingston Flemings is obviously being prepared to take over McCollum's role one day; Dort's physicality on the perimeter is well matched by Zuby Ejiofor, and Asa Newell's burgeoning three-point shot could allow him to slot into Landale's spot.

McCollum seems like a lock to finish out his contract in Atlanta before moving elsewhere. It's possible the Hawks could re-sign Dort or Landale, but it likely won't be for anything longer than a two or three-year deal.

The core players on the roster are already in place. Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are already signed to long-term deals, and Onyeka Okongwu will be on an expiring contract after this season. He will almost certainly be getting a raise that puts him at $30-35 million a year.

Having four out of five starters already secured is a massive luxury, and the Hawks could still trade one of them for an upgrade if it becomes available.

Assets

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NB — Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces the eighth pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Houston guard Kingston Flemings (not pictured) after he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In an NBA landscape where first-round draft picks are incredibly valuable, the Hawks are well-positioned. Many of the NBA's other contenders have already blown their first-round draft capital to build out their teams. Atlanta remained patient despite multiple opportunities to go all-in and they've learned their lesson from the Dejounte Murray trade.

They have a first-round pick in every single draft from now until the foreseeable future. While they don't have any additional draft capital beyond their own picks, that's still an excellent position to be in. That allows them to out-compete most teams for any stars that becomes available.

The Thunder, Spurs, Hawks, Rockets, Trail Blazers and Pistons are the six teams who made the playoffs and have access to all of their native first-round picks from now until 2033. Of those teams, the Hawks and Blazers are the only ones who aren't paying two or more maximum contracts.

The Pistons technically aren't, but they'll have to get pretty close to a maximum extension to keep Jalen Duren in the fold. Portland is only paying Ja Morant the max, and they're getting a huge discount on Deni Avdija, but Avdija will be up for a contract extension after this season, and there's no chance he takes anything less than a max contract.

Atlanta doesn't have any pending maximum contract decisions to make, which gives them unprecedented flexibility to reshape the roster despite being a playoff team last season

Possible Targets

Tier 1 - The Superstars

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Edwards, Anthony Edward — Feb 9, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Anthony Edwards (G, Minnesota Timberwolves) - This one has been obvious for a long time, but there's always a chance that the Hawks could entice Edwards back home if the Timberwolves aren't able to build a contender around him. However, they just made a massive trade for LaMelo Ball and gave up significant assets to do so. The conversation around trading Edwards would likely start in two years if the partnership with Ball proves to be a mistake. Even so, he's in a tier of his own and the Hawks should make an all-in push for him if he ever becomes avaliable.

Tier 2 - Complementary Stars

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Wagner, Franz Wagner, — Apr 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) reacts to Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale (31) in the third quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Franz Wagner (F, Orlando Magic) - Wagner and Paolo Banchero has been a strange fit throughout their career, so it might seem confusing for the Hawks to add him to a team that already features Johnson. However, Wagner's game is far more malleable than Banchero's. Wagner is a great defender who flummoxed Cade Cunningham at times in the playoffs, averaged 20+ points for each of the past two seasons and is still just 24 years old. If the Magic decide to ship him out because of his shooting struggles and the inability of that to work around Banchero, I'm far more confident in Johnson's superiority as a playmaker working well with Wagner's skillset.

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Holmgren, Chet Holmgre — Dec 29, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) screams next to Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) after dunking against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chet Holmgren (C, Oklahoma City Thunder) - Chet Holmgren is one season removed from anchoring a championship-winning team and has cemented himself as one of the best defenders in the NBA. He's an excellent rim protector, shot blocker and help defender who can also space the floor and contribute as a finisher around the rim. However, it can't be papered over that he's currently not capable of hanging with Victor Wembanyama.

If the Thunder want to build a team that challenges the Spurs every year, Holmgren is going to need to level up. Another season of poor play against Wembanyama could start conversations about a change of scenery and Sam Presti has never been afraid to alter his roster in search of the right deal.

Tier 3 - Solid Starters With Strong Fit

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Keegan Murray, Murra — Nov 18, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) shoots the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Keegan Murray (F, Sacramento Kings) - To me, Murray is a worse version of Franz Wagner that would occupy a similar role in Atlanta. His shooting numbers have declined every year of his career, but it can be easily argued that the Kings' roster context is awful and doesn't exactly maximize the limited talent it does have. He'll be avaliable for relatively cheap in comparison to the other three names on the list and the Hawks are well-positioned to take advantage.

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Trey Murphy III, — Dec 2, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Trey Murphy III (F, New Orleans Pelicans) - Trey Murphy would supercharge Atlanta's offense as a scorer and additional ball-handler to take some reps off Johnson's workload. Even so, he's not that good of a defender and the health is a big question. He is on a fairly reasonable contract and the Pelicans need to figure out what they want to do in order to build around Jeremiah Fears/Derik Queen. It becomes easier to do that with more draft picks and Murphy's best years are likely going to be squandered on a terrible Pelicans roster.

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