The Most Underrated Move the Atlanta Hawks Made This Summer

Atlanta made several stealthy moves this summer, but which one is the most underrated?

Mar 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) shields the ball away from New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Atlanta Hawks have had a relatively quiet offseason. After making the playoffs and avoiding the play-in tournament for the first time since 2021, it would have been easy to assume that the Hawks might try to push some of their chips in the middle with such a young team and an opportunity to go for it.

But the Hawks have remained committed to not skipping any steps along the way as they build their team how they want. Teams like Toronto, Philadelphia, and Miami focused on all-in moves, but the Hawks went about their business by re-signing some of their own free agents, drafting three rookies, and making a couple of under-the-radar trades to help bolster their bench this season.

While I would argue that the Hawks offseason has largely been underrated, which individual move is Atlanta's most underrated so far?

Trading for Aaron Wiggins was a steal

Apr 25, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) drives around Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen (8) in the first half during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was not exactly a secret that the Oklahoma City Thunder were going to be in a roster and financial crunch this offseason. The Thunder already had 15 players on their roster, plus incoming draft picks, and were set to be deep into the second apron. The most logical trade candidates on their roster were Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, two deep bench options on OKC, and for the second offseason in a row, Atlanta took advantage of a team in need of salary relief.

Wiggins was a great success story for the Thunder. Selected near the end of the 2021 draft, Wiggins became a reliable defender and three-point shooter for OKC.

Wiggins has appeared in 339 career games, with 100 of those being starts, and owns averages of 8.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 20.3 minutes (48.7 FG%, 38.0 3FG%, 78.4 FT%). He was a valuable piece for the Thunder, but the Hawks are going to be hoping that there is more for them to develop. This is a franchise that takes a lot of pride in its coaching staff being able to develop players, and that is evidenced by Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker's back-to-back Most Improved Player Awards.

Could we see a big leap like that from Wiggins? I am not saying that he is going to win the award next season, but he is arguably going to be the Hawks 6th man next season.

CJ McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu are the likely starting five for Atlanta, but how their bench shakes out is still a bit of a question. Wiggins, Jock Landale, and the newly drafted Kingston Flemings will likely round out the top eight of the rotation. I think Wiggins is going to see major minutes for the Hawks this season.

Wiggins checks several of the Hawks boxes. He can defend, he can pass, and he can shoot the three effectively, something Atlanta's bench did not have throughout the rest of the roster. I think this is going to be one of the sneaky good moves around the NBA and one that could make a difference.