Latest Hawks offseason intel signals direction Atlanta may opt for this summer

The 2026 NBA offseason is going to heat up over the course of the next week as the NBA Draft is six days away and free agency is going to follow.

The Atlanta Hawks have tons of options as far as what direction they want to go this offseason. They have a young core of Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu, two first-round picks (No. 8 and No. 23), and financial flexibility.

With how strong Atlanta finished the season after the All-Star break, they could choose to run it back with the majority of the team that they had, and the latest intel suggests that the Hawks are going to choose that path.

According to NBA insider Michael Scotto, the Hawks remain interested in re-signing CJ McCollum and Jock Landale, bringing back Jonathan Kuminga (though the Hawks have gauged his trade market), and selecting one of the top guards in the draft or Michigan center Aday Mara, as well as expecting the Hawks to be interested in moving up from No. 23.

"Atlanta wants to re-sign McCollum in free agency. Currently, McCollum is projected to re-sign with the Hawks for an average annual salary around $20 million, HoopsHype has learned.

Furthermore, Atlanta has a $24.3 million team option for the 2026-27 season on Kuminga, who scored 40 combined points in two Hawks wins against the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.

The Hawks have conducted their due diligence and gauged Kuminga’s value on the trade market ahead of the draft, league sources told HoopsHype. With that said, the 23-year-old forward returning to the Hawks next season remains a real possibility."

Last night, insider Jake Fischer also reported that the Hawks were interested in bringing back McCollum, as well as sharing some draft intel about Atlanta:

"The Hawks certainly could stand to benefit from selecting a guard. While league sources maintain that Atlanta remains hopeful about its chances of re-signing veteran CJ McCollum in free agency after his standout postseason, sources say that the Hawks are interested in coming away with another downhill ballhandler to complement Jalen Johnson over a longer term.

My sense is that the Wagler, Brown and Flemings camps all view Atlanta as their lottery floor."

What does this mean?

Jonathan Kuminga Atlanta Hawk — Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) is defended by New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

If this is the direction the Hawks decide to go, it should not be a surprise to anyone.

With the Hawks going 20-6 after the All-Star break and being the only team to defeat the New York Knicks multiple times in the playoffs, there is a lot to like about what this team was able to accomplish this season. The thing that goes under discussed is that this group was patched together just over the final months of the season and had less than half a season to learn how to play together, not to mention that Kuminga and Landale missed time with injuries.

It would make sense if Atlanta wanted to see this team with McCollum and Kuminga over a full season, while making two additions in the draft and using their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign a free agent who could bolster their depth, which was an issue down the stretch of the season and in the playoffs.

Now, these reports do not set in stone that the Hawks are going to bring all of these guys back. According to Scotto, the Hawks have gauged the market for Kuminga and if they wanted to combine his salary along with either Corey Kispert, Zaccharie Risacher, or Buddy Hield (if he is not waived), they could make a splashy trade.

Bringing back McCollum as a veteran who could give the Hawks some runway if they drafted a guard at either No. 8 or No. 23. If the deal is for two years at $40 million as Scotto reported, this would be a fine deal, especially if the last year includes a team option. The Hawks have the financial flexibility to do something like that and still keep their options open in the future.

The same could go for the center position. If the Hawks take Mara or someone else, they could bring back Landale and have an impressive trio for next season, and help ease the rookie into the league until he is ready to either take the main backup spot or the starting spot in the future.

As we have discussed here, the Hawks have a lot of directions they could go, but momentum seems to be gathering for what they will do this summer.

Add us as a preferred source on Google