Atlanta Hawks 2026 Salary Cap Tracker: How Much Room, Flexibility Do They Have This Offseason?

The season is over for the Atlanta Hawks. The New York Knicks ended Atlanta's season last night in one of the most embarrassing defeats in franchise history, and now, the Hawks head into an interesting offseason with plenty of moves and decisions that have to be made.

This article is designed to give you up-to-date info on the Hawks' payroll total and how that affects their ability to sign their own free agents, use exceptions, and other things in the coming months.

Guaranteed Contracts

The Hawks have eight players who have guaranteed contracts next season, unless they are traded.

Jalen Johnson- $30 million

Nickeil Alexander-Walker: $15.2 million

Onyeka Okongwu- $16.1 million

Corey Kispert- $13.9 million

Zaccharie Risacher- $13.8

Buddy Hield- $9.6 million (partially guaranteed, just $3 million is currently protected, becomes guaranteed on June 25th)

Dyson Daniels- $25 million

Asa Newell- $3.4 million

The NBA has projected the salary cap to be at $165 million for next season.

Team Options

The Hawks are going to have two big player options that they are going to have to decide on for the 2026-2027 season:

Jonathan Kuminga- $24.3 million

Mouhamed Gueye- $2.4 million

Now, if the Hawks were to decline these options, that does not mean that either Kuminga or Gueye won't be back, but it could mean that a longer term deal could be negotiated.

Kuminga is the one to watch here. He only got to play in 16 games as a Hawk after being acquired before the trade deadline and it was a mixed bag of results. When Kuminga played well, he showcased his athleticism and scoring ability, as well as the ability to defend. Other times, his shot was not falling and he was a detriment to the offense. How the Hawks handle this situation

Free Agents

The Hawks have four players who are unrestricted free agents heading into the offseason, while Keaton Wallace is restricted :

CJ McCollum

Gabe Vincent

Keaton Wallace (restricted)

Jock Landale

Tony Bradley

McCollum is going to be the focus of this group. He played well enough and his shotmaking and veteran leadership were huge for this Hawks team down the stretch that he could be brought back if the deal is right. NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Hawks have a lot of interest in bringing back McCo

Cap Situation

Some numbers to keep in mind heading into the offseason:

Luxury tax: $201 million
1st Apron: $209 million
2nd Apron: $222 million

If the Hawks pick up Kuminga's option and keep Buddy Hield, they will still be $36 million below the luxury tax line.

For a team that just made the playoffs, the Hawks are going to have some financial flexibility and ways to improve this team.

Resources

The first big domino of the offseason for Atlanta is going to be next Sunday with the NBA Draft lottery.

Thanks to a smart trade last summer, the Hawks have an unprotected 2026 first round pick that is the most favorable of New Orleans and Milwaukee. The Pelicans enter the draft with the 7th best odds to win the lottery and the Bucks are at 10th. This team has a realistic shot at coming away with the No. 1 pick in what is expected to be a star studded and deep draft.

Atlanta also has the No. 23 and No. 57 pick in this year's draft.

Atlanta will owe the Spurs their unprotected 1st round pick next season, but the Hawks have four first round picks that can be traded if they want to make a big splash via trade. One of the picks is a 2027 1st rounder that is the least favorable of the Pelicans and Bucks that is top four protected. They have a 2028 first via Utah or Cleveland, not to mention eight second rounders. The Hawks have draft capital that they can use to add to its roster or use in trades.

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