Examining Rotation Changes That The Atlanta Hawks Could Make For The 2026-27 Season

Since there aren't any major changes expected to the rotation, how might head coach Quin Snyder choose to stagger minutes differently this season?

Mar 14, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Corey Kispert (24) dribbles against the Milwaukee Bucks in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Atlanta Hawks didn't make any moves for a superstar player this summer, but they did give themselves a lot of options for deploying different lineups.

In the draft, they added two rookies in the first round who should demand at least 15 minutes a night in Zuby Ejiofor and Kingston Flemings.

The trade market gave them Lu Dort, who has started 423 games in his career, a backup guard in Devin Carter, and a serviceable 9th/10th man in Aaron Wiggins. That's even before mentioning Asa Newell, who the Hawks invested a 2025 first-round pick in. Newell's been showing signs of improvement through his time in the G League and during the Summer League circuit. He deserves the chance to factor into Atlanta's PF depth behind Jalen Johnson.

Atlanta's front office also made the decision to bring back two major factors in their rotation by re-signing CJ McCollum and Jock Landale to one-year deals that essentially ensure they'll have a significant role to begin the season. They both showed flashes down the stretch of last season that got the Hawks into the postseason; it's imperative that the Hawks carve out space in the rotation for both of them.

With all of this to consider, here are four changes I believe the Hawks will make to their rotation in pursuit of the right lineup combinations that maximize this roster.

Lu Dort As Sixth Man

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season, the best five-man lineup that the Hawks had was the combination of Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, McCollum, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu. They outscored opponents by 21.8 points and crucially, had a defensive rating of 105.7 across 344 minutes per Databallr.

Per NBA.com, this lineup was the second-best lineup in the NBA by net rating among lineups that played over 200 minutes. That's a large sample size of evidence to support the idea that the Hawks shouldn't break this starting lineup up. Rather, they should stagger minutes such that Dort comes in for McCollum.

During his time with the Thunder, the best three-man lineup that Dort played in was actually with Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace. They produced a +19.0 net rating across 123 minutes, indicating that Dort is at his best when he's got some defensive help and a creator alongside him.

If they can stagger his minutes so that he's usually on the floor with Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson, that could be a very productive lineup for Atlanta. Even so, Dort could also work with NAW and Daniels since they fit under the same criteria. His ideal role is to improve the minutes that Zaccharie Risacher was giving Atlanta.

Last season, the Hawks used Risacher and Jonathan Kuminga as the two most common substitutions off the bench - Risacher was 9th, and Kuminga was 10th in minutes played per game. However, the Risacher minutes were far from productive for Atlanta. He was a net negative in every two-man grouping with practically all of Atlanta's starters.

Swapping out Risacher for Dort should see an immediate uptick in productivity from the Hawks' lineups. | Per Databallr.com

The only starter that Risacher wasn't a net negative while playing with was McCollum (+6.6 net rating, 228 minutes). McCollum's shooting prowess and ability to generate space for Risacher to operate might have been part of the reason for the lineup's productivity, but it lends further credence to the idea that keeping McCollum fresh is critical to Atlanta's success in 2026-27. His shooting creates more opportunities for the bench players on the roster, and using Dort as a sixth man to keep McCollum rested will help them preserve that advantage.

Buddy Hield Should Be Traded

Mar 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Buddy Hield (8) dribbles against Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson (45) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's a very small sample size, but the Hawks had a -19.6 net rating in Buddy Hield's minutes last season. He only played 21 minutes and never played with any of Atlanta's starters, so those numbers do have to be taken with a grain of salt. Even so, there just isn't any space in the rotation for him next season. The Hawks already have Daniels, NAW, CJ McCollum, and Flemings firmly above him in the pecking order, and Hield doesn't bring much on the defensive end. Out of the nine three-man lineups he was in last season, there was only one that had a solid defensive rating.

It's going to get even harder to find minutes for Hield when trying to work in Devin Carter and Aaron Wiggins. The Hawks may not want to accept a salary dump trade for Hield, but his $9.6 million salary isn't being maximized on this roster, and he deserves the opportunity to contribute elsewhere. He had the worst shooting season of his career in 2025-26, only canning 34.9% of his threes on 4.2 attempts per game after being a career 39.5% shooter from deep on almost eight attempts per game.

There is some value to having a veteran presence like Hield on the team, but his salary is too high, and the salary cap environment punishes every wasted spot on the roster. Could the Hawks move him to a team that desperately needs shooting in exchange for an expiring contract? They should certainly pursue it.

Aaron Wiggins Over Corey Kispert

Feb 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) drives past Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Aaron Wiggins was arguably the worst player on OKC's roster last season who played significant minutes. The Thunder had a net rating on-off split of -8.7 in his minutes, meaning that they were 8.7 points better when he wasn't on the floor.

He played 1144 minutes for them, and outside of Lu Dort, he was the only player who eclipsed 1000 minutes for OKC and finished as a net negative. That doesn't necessarily bode well for the Hawks, but it should be noted that the Thunder were still a pretty good defense in Wiggins' minutes. When he was on the floor, they had a respectable defensive rating of 109.3.

He declined significantly from the 2024-25 season, where he averaged 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while having an on-off rating of +3.9. He also showed out in the postseason, having big games in the Thunder's first-round series against the Grizzlies and punctuating Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals with 18 points and five made threes. That form is miles beyond anything that Corey Kispert has shown thus far, and especially beyond what he's shown with the Hawks.

In the 86 minutes he got to play with the rest of Atlanta's starters, the lineup had a net rating of -2.2 and they had a horrid defensive rating of over 120. He also had an on-off split of -9.9 last season and the Hawks were significantly better on both ends of the court without him. Wiggins' floor was about where Kispert's was last season, but the ceiling is significantly better and there's no reason for Kispert to play over him at the moment.

Asa Newell As Backup PF

Apr 12, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Asa Newell (14) looks to pass against Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson (16) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mo Gueye's injury has likely already cemented this, but Asa Newell should be the backup four to start the season for Atlanta.

While the on-offs weren't great for Asa last season, it's important to remember he was in his second season and he's just 20 years old. He has age on his side in a way that players like Kispert do not and the three-man lineups reveal something interesting about Newell's game.

Surprisingly, the combination of Daniels - Newell - Luke Kennard produced a net rating of +25.7 during the 84 minutes they shared the floor. Newell also played well alongside Kennard and Okongwu (+0.4 net rating) and NAW and Kennard (+0.6 net rating).

However, the two-man duo of Johnson and Newell was below average (-0.5 net rating), and Newell wasn't productive when playing next to Johnson and NAW either (-5.0 net rating). The sample sizes are very small, but this supports the idea that Newell can sub in for Johnson and be productive if he's playing with floor spacers and alongside Daniels, who is very capable of finding him for lobs or open corner threes.

Newell still isn't a very good defender, so it's probably best for him to play next to Onyeka so that he doesn't have to guard any centers with regularity. That leaves him open to forcing the nominal PF in the opponent's lineup to keep up with his speed and match his rebounding ability, both of which can be a challenge.