2025 NBA Offseason: Who Are The Atlanta Hawks Free Agents This Summer and What Is The Likelihood They Return?

The Atlanta Hawks season ended on Friday with a play-in tournament loss to the Miami Heat and now they head into what is going to be an interesting offseason. The offseason got more murkier yesterday with the front office changes which saw former GM Landry Fields relieved of his duties and Onsi Saleh promoted to general manager.

This was a mostly successful season for the Hawks, even if they did not make the playoffs. This was a young team that had a lot of unknowns heading into the season, but a lot of those questions got answered. Dyson Daniels was the perfect backcourt teammate with Trae Young and showed why he is one of the best defenders in the league while improving by leaps and bounds on offense. Zaccharie Risacher showed continued improvement and was one of the best rookies in the NBA this season. Onyeka Okongwu took over as the starting center and showed that he could hold that position for the Hawks, while Jalen Johnson looked like an All-Star. If Johnson had not suffered a season-ending injury, as well as Larry Nance and Clint Capela getting injured, the Hawks might have been a top-six seed in the East.

One of the biggest parts of the offseason of course is free agency and the Hawks have a few notable players whose contracts will be up this summer:

1. C Clint Capela (Unrestricted)

Capela is one of the longest tenured Hawks on the team, but his future with the team is not clear. While he is not the force on defense he was when he first arrived in Atlanta, he is still pretty solid and the Hawks missed his presence in the middle after he was injured. Heading into the offseason, Onyeka Okongwu is the only center under contract and the Hawks will of course have to fill the depth behind him. Will it be Capela? It does not seem that way, but it can't be completely ruled out.

2. C Larry Nance (Unrestricted)

Nance was a great addition to the team both on the court and off. Nance brought veteran leadership and played well this year, giving the Hawks a three-point threat at the five. Like Capela, he could be brought back to backup Okongwu, but it is far from certain.

3. G Caris LeVert (Unrestricted)

LeVert was acquired at the trade deadline and was a solid scoring and ball handling presence for the Hawks off the bench. LeVert filled a need for the Hawks, as they did not have a player to fill that role before and it would make some sense at the right price if the Hawks wanted to bring him back. With that said, Atlanta would need to fill out the rest of the bench, as LeVert can't be the only depth piece to the team and at times after the deadline, he was.

4. F Garrison Matthews (Unrestricted)

Matthews is an unrestricted free agent this summer and it does not seem likely that the three-point specialist is going to be back this season. Matthews is a really good three-point shooter, but is a big liability on defense and does not offer much aside from shooting.

5. Dominick Barlow (Team option)

This one will be interesting. Barlow was originally a two-way contract at the beginning of the season, but was given a standard team contract in March. Barlow is still developing as a prospect and was put in some tough situations this season with the Hawks frontcourt injuries, but he still has upside if the Hawks are willing to develop him.

6. Keaton Wallace and Jacob Toppin (RFA/Two-Way)

Wallace played a larger role this season than anyone envisioned, filling in for the Hawks early in the season, including scoring 27 points in a shocking win over the Bulls. When Barlow was converted to a standard contract, the Hawks brought Toppin in on a two-way contract, but he was injured for most of his time in Atlanta.

Overview

There is a chance that none of these players are brought back for next season, but there is always a chance multiple guys are brought back. Capela and Nance could be the backup centers again, unless the Hawks go in a different direction, and LeVert is a solid bench option for scoring. Barlow still needs to be developed and might not be ready for a big role next year, making his spot uncertain. Garrison Matthews seems to be the guy that is the most unlikely to return.

Additional Links

2025 NBA Draft: Atlanta Hawks Receive Major Draft News After NBA Settles Tiebreakers

Insider Gives Update On Trae Young: "I have not heard anything that would leave me to believe that he wants out"

How Does The Firing of Landry Fields Affect The Future of Trae Young?