Atlanta Hawks Trade Deadline FAQ: Picks, Cap Space, Exceptions, and Real Limits

We are less than one week away from the NBA's trade deadline. There has only been one deal so far in this season, with the Hawks sending Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. While a lot of the noise is surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo leading up to the deadline, there could be some smaller deals made that impact the playoff race.

With the Young deal now behind them, is there another move that the Hawks will be making? They still have a big need at center and one area that is under discussed is that Atlanta could still use some depth at the forward spots.

Let's look at the Hawks big picture needs:

What is the Hawks Salary Cap Situation?

The Hawks are going to be hard capped at the first apron. Atlanta is currently $6.8 million under the luxury tax per Spotrac. They also have four trade exceptions that they can use at the deadline this year: $13.1 million (Bogdan Bogdanovic), $6.7 million (Clint Capela), $5.1 million (Bi-Annual Exception), $4.5 million (Kobe Bufkin)

How many draft picks can the Hawks trade?

While the Hawks owe a pick this year and next year to the Spurs, they have some premium draft assets to work with. The Hawks own a 2026 more favorable first of Milwaukee and New Orleans, 2026 least favorable swap of Cleveland and Utah, 2027 top-four protected least favorable first of Milwaukee and New Orleans, 2028 least favorable swap of Cleveland and Utah, and their own first round picks from 2029-2032. They also have five second round picks that they can trade.

Do the Hawks have any roster spots?

No, the Hawks currently have 15 standard roster spots (Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Keaton Wallace, Vit Krejci, Corey Kispert, Mouhamed Gueye, N'Faly Dante, Kristaps Porzingis, CJ McCollum, Luke Kennard, Asa Newell, and Nikola Djurisic) and three players on two-way contracts (RayJ Dennis, Caleb Houstan, and Christian Koloko).

Which Hawks are on the trade block?

The Hawks do have have three expiring contracts that would be enticing to teams and that could help the Hawks make a big trade. Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7 million), CJ McCollum ($30.6 million), and Luke Kennard ($11 million) could be used in trades at the deadline. Note: CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert cannot be traded to a team aggregated with other players from their team because 2 months have not passed since they were traded for. Their outgoing salary cannot be combined with another teammate's salary to bring in a higher-salaried player. This restriction expires after Mar 07, 2026.

Who is the most likely Hawk to be traded?

Porzingis, followed by Kennard, McCollum, and Kispert.

What do the Hawks need at the deadline?

Frontcourt depth. With Porzingis missing so much time and Dante out for the season with an injury, Atlanta has had a big hole at the center position alongside Onyeka Okongwu. Christian Koloko has stepped up since being signed to a two-way contract, but two way contracts cannot play in the playoffs unless converted to a standard contract. If the Hawks could find a suitable center to either play behind Okongwu or even start, that would be ideal.

An underrated need for the Hawks is backup small forward. Atlanta has used Risacher, Krejci, and now Kispert at that spot, but they could use a more defensive minded wing on the roster.

Who are some potential Hawks trade targets?

Realistically, the Hawks might be in the market for a cheap center to give them more depth. I think this could still be a target area even if the Hawks opt to keep Porzingis past the deadline, as they could use him as the backup four.

Guys with small salaries and possibly on expiring or short contracts should be the target. Orlando's Goga Bitadze, Brooklyn's Day'Ron Sharpe, Philly's Andre Drummond, Phoenix's Nick Richards, New Orleans Yves Missi, and Portland's Robert Williams III could fit the bill.

If the Hawks want a bigger salary center, they could look at either Myles Turner, Nic Claxton, or Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic is on an expiring contract, though he might not be the most perfect fit.

On the wing, two players that stand out are Mavericks forward Naji Marshall and San Antonio's Jeremy Sochan.