Ten "Bad Contracts" The Hawks Could Acquire This Summer In Exchange For Draft Capital

Even though the Hawks have repeatedly stressed flexibility, there's value to be gained in taking on "bad" contracts for additional draft capital in upcoming seasons.

Dec 14, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) dribbles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Every summer, there are players traded because they are on huge contracts that are percieved to be of negative value. Players on "bad contracts" are usually not skilled enough to impact NBA basketball, injury-prone or an awkward fit on winning teams. Even so, there can be value in taking on these bad contracts if the player can either improve/stay healthy or the additional draft picks turn into valuable players.

One of the most famous examples of this is the Clippers trading Baron Davis to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011 because he was on a massive contract that he wasn't justifying. They traded Davis alongside an unprotected first-round pick, which turned into the No. 1 overall selection in 2012 and allowed the Cavs to take Kyrie Irving. Suffice to say, that worked out pretty well for Cleveland.

Now, it is important to acknowledge that this runs contrary to the pathway Hawks president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh has preached. Saleh has repeatedly stressed how important future flexibility is. Taking on bad deals certainly reduces salary cap flexibility, but there is always the chance of landing an impact player with the attached draft capital.

In no particular order, here are ten such opportunities that the Hawks might want to look at for this season. All of these players could be acquired by trading some combination of Jonathan Kuminga, Zaccharie Risacher and/or Corey Kispert.

Paul George - F, Philadelphia 76ers ($54.1 million for 2026-27, 2 years remaining)

Nov 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) controls the ball against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Paul George is one of the most interesting names on this list because he's clearly still a good player. George was one of the best defenders in the 2026 playoffs, stone-walling Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum while also doing a respectable job on KAT in the second round. He only played in 37 games, but he was suspended for 25 games and made a huge impact on the 76ers when he came back. There's just not many players who can legitimately handle the ball at his size, guard the other's team best wing and consistently shoot over 35% from deep on high volume for multiple seasons in a row.

George's salary is massive, but I'd argue he's one of the best targets that the Hawks could acquire if they do want to take on some contracts for draft capital. Under new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, it's possible that the 76ers would be open to sending George elsewhere in order to clear his contract from the books while he still has some value.

Brandon Ingram - F, Toronto Raptors ($40 million for 2026-27, 2 years remaining)

Jan 5, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) passes the ball as he collides with Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Brandon Ingram theoretically occupies the same role that George does at a younger and cheaper price. He did make the All-Star game this season for the Raptors, averaging 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 47.7/38.2/82 shooting splits. He is also far healthier than George, playing in 77 games this season. On paper, he'd be a better bet to contribute to Atlanta over the next few seasons.

Upon further inspection, Ingram's issues are entirely untenable if the Hawks want to progress as a team. He demands a lot of touches, gets banged up frequently, struggles on defense and doesn't pass the ball enough. The Raptors performed better with him off the court because of these flaws. His AST% declined from 26.8% in 2024-25 to a dismal 16.8% last season. Therefore, he's basically just an isolation scorer who doesn't offer much else for a team. It's fine for a rebuilding team looking to jump into a respectable tier, but the Hawks should look elsewhere even if the Raptors attach a first-rounder to drive up the price.

De'Aaron Fox - G, San Antonio Spurs ($49.5 million for 2026-27, four years left)

Dec 19, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) is defended by Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It might be too soon to say, but Fox's contract seems to be one of the five worst deals in the NBA. The Spurs almost had to give it to him after they made a big trade to get him, but that doesn't change the fact that Fox's contract is eyebrow-raising relative to his impact.

Unlike Ingram, Fox has shown he can make a positive difference in the postseason. He was critical as a ball-handler and passer in the Western Conference Finals, finishing the series with a 31: 7 assist to turnover ratio. He was the steady anchor of a young Spurs team and they usually lost the games that he struggled in. However, Fox's emphasis on driving to the rim, questionable decision making and taking tough jumpers does cause problems at times. That all showed up in the NBA Finals, which the Spurs lost in large part due to dreadful performances from Fox.

Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle's obvious potential should cause the Spurs to feel comfortable doing what they need to do to get out of Fox's deal. Unlike many of the other players on this list, there's a concievable future where Fox is still an All-Star level player throughout the life of the contract. He'd probably be able to improve some of the Hawks' play in the halfcourt. Even so, the Hawks will be able to get a young guard with potential in the draft this summer. Do they really need to make Fox the highest-paid player on the roster?

Myles Turner - C, Milwaukee Bucks ($26.5 million for 2026-27, three years left)

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 | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Myles Turner and Onyeka Okongwu would be a very fun duo from a spacing standpoint. Both players are legitimate shooters at their position and Turner does offer something as a shot blocker. Last season, he shot 38.3% on 5.4 attempts from deep per game and he averaged 1.6 blocks a night. He is still an above-average defender - the Bucks had a solid defensive rating of 117.0 when he was on the court and they dropped down to a dismal 124.0 with him off. However, he's never been as impressive of a rim protector as his block numbers would suggest and he doesn't compete on the boards.

The Hawks would likely get draft capital in exchange for taking on this salary as part of a bigger move for Giannis. However, Turner doesn't seem like the right player for the Hawks to get unless they get an absolute haul of draft picks to take his contract.

Christian Braun - F, Denver Nuggets ($21.5 million for 2026-27, five years left)

Jan 9, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) defends on Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) in the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

On paper, there's reasons to think that Christian Braun might be able to find success in Atlanta while failing to turn himself into a key rotation piece alongside Nikola Jokic. Braun excels in transition and he's a decent defender at the point of attack. Atlanta's leaned into a transition-based style of play in the regular season and it's possible that Braun would help with that.

However, he's on a big contract over the next five seasons and he's already 25 years old. There isn't much more development that Braun could realistically achieve and his three-point shooting was surprisingly bad last season (30.1% on 3.3 attempts a game).

Joel Embiid - C, Philadelphia 76ers ($58.1 million for 2026-27, three years left)

Nov 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks in overtime at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

When healthy, Joel Embiid is still a player who can change a playoff series by himself. He made that evidently clear over the last three games of the Celtics-Sixers first round series and served as the catalyst for a upset win over Boston. However, the inability to stay healthy will rear its head at some point throughout the season and the Hawks aren't ready to take that on.

In the 38 games he played in the regular season, Embiid averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists on an efficient 60.5 TS%. He'd be able to improve Atlanta's half-court offense and it'd be fun to see how he would draw attention away from Jalen Johnson and create more looks for Atlanta's shooters. If Philadelphia included a pick (or two) to take on his massive contract, then the Hawks would have to at least consider it.

Ultimately, the risk probably isn't worth the pay-off. They'd have to send out a lot of money in contracts to get close to Embiid's number and it severely handicaps their ceiling over the next three seasons.

Jalen Suggs - G, Orlando Magic ($32.4 million for 2026-27, four years remaining)

Apr 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) moves the ball past Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) in the first quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Jalen Suggs' contract isn't great because the Magic are running up against the salary cap while needing to figure out an extension for promising young guard Anthony Black. However, Suggs himself is still a pretty good player on the whole.

At just 25 years old, Suggs has turned himself into one of the best guard defenders in the NBA. He's gotten better as a passer, posting a career-high AST% of 29.6%. The Magic had an elite defensive rating of 110.3 with him on the court and despite his terrible shooting numbers, they were a +10.1 in the 1475 minutes he played. However, the shooting numbers from deep are going to be a challenge to figure out. He shot 33.9% on six attempts per game in the regular season, but that number cratered to 24.1% on seven attempts a game in the playoffs.

On paper, the Hawks can't really afford to add someone with his shooting concerns and injury history. He's played in 60+ games only once in his career. However, he would upgrade Atlanta's defense and the contract does decrease in annual salary each year. If the Magic threw in a first-round pick swap, that might be enough of an incentive to get the Hawks to bite.

Jerami Grant - F, Portland Trail Blazers ($34.2 million for 2026-27, two years left)

Jan 15, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) shoots the ball over Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) during the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Jerami Grant's contract only runs for the next two seasons and with his rebound in 2025-26, this might actually be an impactful addition for the Hawks. He averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game on 45.3/38.9/81.4 shooting splits. Assuming that he keeps these numbers up, he'd be a positive for Atlanta's half-court offense.

However, he doesn't really contribute anything else to the game other than his scoring. Grant is a bad defender at this stage of his career and his REB% was a dismal 6.3% last season. There's not a lot of ways that Grant can impact a playoff series at this stage of his career.

Jakob Poeltl - C, Toronto Raptors ($19.5 million for 2026-27, four years remaining

Oct 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) in action against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Even though the Hawks could probably get a decent amount of draft capital for taking on this contract, it would be a terrible move because of how much it handicaps their future salary flexibility. If Poeltl was at his best, he'd actually make some sense for the Hawks. He's a double-double machine who can protect the rim, clean up shot attempts and function as an effective roll man.

However, it's not entirely clear if that player will ever come back. Poeltl has slowed down over the years and he was dealing with a back injury throughout last season. Back injuries are extremely difficult to manage because they are usually chronic and drastically decrease the effectiveness of big men. It's highly possible that Poeltl will not be able to contribute regularly throughout the life of this deal and that he won't be able to contribute in the areas the Hawks need him to. That makes this a complete non-starter for the Hawks.

Kyle Kuzma - F, Milwaukee Bucks ($20.4 million for 2026-27, 1 year remaining)

Mar 14, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (18) shoots against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Kyle Kuzma would make little sense for the Hawks as an addition in the summer unless they plan to use his salary in a bigger move at the deadline. He's on an expiring contract, which is the only thing that's really appealing about what he offers at this stage of his career.

Kuzma just doesn't really stand out in any particular way. He averaged 13 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on decent shooting splits of .492/.347/.726. He can be a fine defender at times and he's a decent rebounder for his position, but he also doesn't have great hands and generally lacks the awareness to be a contributing role player. He occasionally offers something as a scorer when he gets hot, but those games are few and far betwen.

However, he could make sense for the Hawks to acquire as additional salary they can send out in a trade deadline move. If they keep him and Kuminga on the roster, that's almost $45 million in expiring deals. That could be an intriguing package for a team trading away a star-level player that doesn't want to take on bad money.