How Can The Atlanta Hawks Solve Their Current Roster Crunch?

With 16 players under contract already, it would make a lot of sense for the Hawks to consolidate contracts in a trade and open up some roster flexibility.

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

The Atlanta Hawks are currently experiencing a very interesting problem - they have too many contracts.

After they made three selections in the NBA Draft, traded for both Aaron Wiggins and Devin Carter, and re-signed the duo of CJ McCollum and Jock Landale in free agency, the Hawks have 16 players on the roster. The NBA roster rules dictate that teams can carry 15 players and three two-way contracts. As it currently stands, Atlanta would be over that limit, though you are allowed to carry 20 players during the summer, but that will have to be trimmed down by the time the season rolls around.

Fortunately, they have plenty of time to figure out how they'll get below the roster limit.

The easiest way to do so is by pursuing a consolidation trade. There are several names on the Hawks that stand out as candidates to get traded and it would be to Atlanta's benefit to explore these options. They are flush with depth and already have their starting five in place for next season. It's time to turn that depth into a more efficient roster.

The obvious trade package that could be floated to interested teams would be the combination of Zaccharie Risacher ($13.8 million) and Corey Kispert ($13.9 million). That's around $27.7 million in tradeable salary and there's a chance rebuilding teams would take a look at that package if the Hawks offered some draft capital to make it happen.

While there are several consolidation trades that the Hawks could pursue, here are three possibilities that stand out as options after the initial waves of free agency (in no particular order).

Myles Turner - C, Milwaukee Bucks

Mar 4, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu (17) looks for a shot against Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) in the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now that the Bucks have traded Giannis Antetokounmpo, this deal makes an enormous amount of sense for the Hawks. They can send out the Risacher-Kispert combination and almost match Turner's salary for the 2026-27 season. The Bucks' center is due $26.5 million, which technically means that the Hawks would be shaving $1.2 million off their books since they're sending out more salary.

Turner isn't the best fit in Atlanta, but he's a good shot blocker and shoots threes. He gives the Hawks the optionality to go five-out with Onyeka Okongwu and throw together a massive lineup of Jalen Johnson alongside a double-big look. He's also 30 years old, so the Bucks have no real reason to hold onto him. They clearly want to focus on developing Ke'el Ware into their center of the future and Turner impedes their plan. Even though the Hawks already signed Landale, they can't go into the season with him as the only proven big who can fill in for OO as a stable presence.

Keegan Murray - F, Sacramento Kings

Jan 4, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) has his shot blocked by Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

While Jalen Johnson had a great season and took several steps forward in his first year as a primary option, his previously solid defense took a massive hit. He's always had his struggles with off-ball defense, but it was noticeably worse this season. He consistently lacked the timing to fight through screens and get over switches.

The rotations to provide help defense at the rim were also late on several occasions, which did not help his defensive production. Johnson's defensive rebounding will always be strong, but it's an area of his game that needs to improve over time.

Keegan Murray can give him some help.

It's true that Murray might be the only good player left on the Kings and they'd have no intention of trading him. It's also true that he played 22 games last season, just signed a $140 million contract that runs through the next five seasons and his three-point percentage has declined in each season. His perimeter defense and rim protection are extremely helpful, but they don't really help the Kings right now since they have so much work to do on their roster.

If they're willing to explore the Risacher/Kispert package with one first-round pick attached, it'd be a nice way of finding the long-term SF that the Hawks have been looking for. Atlanta's spacing will likely help Murray improve his 3P% from the 27.7% he shot from deep last season.

Jrue Holiday - G, Portland Trail Blazers

Mar 1, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday (5) shoots against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Hawks already re-signed McCollum and drafted Kingston Flemings with the eighth overall pick, so adding to the backcourt isn't really a huge need. However, bringing Jrue Holiday off the bench or using him as an occasional starter would make the Hawks a deeper and better team for 2026-27.

Holiday still remains a solid perimeter defender despite his advanced age and his defensive IQ is incredible. He's been the glue guy on two Finals teams and the Hawks could clearly benefit from adding a player of his postseason experience.

Even though Portland had atrocious spacing last season, Holiday still shot 37.8% on 6.8 attempts per game and posted an AST% of 32.1%. The combination of him and Dyson Daniels to throw at opponents would be extremely tough to handle, and there are only two years left on his contract.

To land Jrue, the Hawks could also include Buddy Hield's salary in the deal, and that might make the package of Kispert/Risacher more enticing. Both Kispert and Hield have been good shooters throughout their careers, and there's a chance Portland can turn Risacher into a better shooter than what he showed as a sophomore. He's entering his age-21 season, and the Trail Blazers definitely need young wings who can develop into floor spacers.

Even if the Hawks don't go down any of the three paths proposed here, they do need to figure out how to trim their roster. Carrying one roster spot in the season is always a good idea in case the Hawks need to make a trade at the deadline or sign veterans for injury insurance. Since they can't carry 16 contracts into the regular season, now is the time to start exploring options.