Three Ways That the Hawks Can Create Lots Of Salary Cap Space and Flexibility This Offseason

The Hawks are going to have plenty of options when it comes to making their roster this offseason and one of them involves getting to lots of cap space

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

Heading into the offseason, the Hawks have $116,704,230 in guaranteed contracts next season, and the salary cap for the upcoming season is going to be $165 million.

While they might not have the financial flexibility of, say, the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, or Brooklyn Nets, the Atlanta Hawks are in one of the better positions when it comes to finances heading into this offseason, and that is going to give them plenty of avenues to improve their roster.

One of them is opening up a lot of cap space to go and chase a major player in free agency or via trade.

Here are three ways in which they could operate with lots of room this offseason.

1. Don't bring back CJ McCollum

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) controls the ball against New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) during the second quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Is CJ McCollum going to be signed to a long-term extension worth lots of money at this point in his career? No, but if the Hawks want to have the flexibility to go after Austin Reaves to fill the backcourt scoring role they need, it would mean that McCollum is not going to be in Atlanta after a productive end to the season.

McCollum played 41 games for the Hawks after being traded from Washington in the Trae Young trade and he averaged 18.7 PPG and 4.1 APG on 46/38/75 shooting splits and was a clutch performer for the Hawks in the playoffs, winning games two and three vs the Knicks with clutch shots late in the game.

Now, if Atlanta opts to not bring back McCollum, they need to have a clear plan in place to replace him and that is the only scenario in which I see that happeing. If the Hawks felt like they had a realistic shot at Reaves or could pull off a big trade (Kyrie Irving), then McCollum is not likely to be back.

If McCollum is brought back, then I would expect it to be on a 1-2 year deal.

2. Jonathan Kuminga's team option

Apr 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) drives on New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) in the third quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Jonathan Kuminga was the other big acquisition for the Hawks during the season.

Kuminga was acquired from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis and in the 16 games that he played for Atlanta, he averaged 12.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.3 APG on 46/33/72 shooting splits and was a better defender than expected.

He has a $24.3 million team option for next season and the Hawks have a decision to make in terms of what they want to do with that.

To open up a lot of space this offseason, the Hawks could just simply decline the team option and let Kuminga test free agency. That seems to be the least likely option though and losing Kuminga for nothing is not something that I envision president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh doing this summer.

Atlanta could also pick up the team option and trade Kuminga, but that does not necessarily open up cap space for them.

The other option is to decline the option, but bring Kuminga back on a new deal with a lower number in the first year to give the Hawks some more room to work with.

Kuminga is different from McCollum in that there is not really an alternative for the Hawks to replace him with if they wanted to go for a bigger name. Kuminga is a young, athletic, long wing player, which is the kind of archetype that Atlanta covets.

3. Buddy Hield, Zaccharie Risacher, and Corey Kispert

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) warms up before game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Let's break these players down.

Buddy Hield is the simplest. Hield's contract becomes guaranteed for $9,658, 536 on June 25th, the day after the NBA Draft. If he is waived before then, the Hawks could save $6 million in salary. Given that Hield did not play any meaningful minutes for the Hawks after being traded from Golden State, I can't see Atlanta bringing him back at that price unless it is because he is used in a trade.

Zaccharie Risacher did not have the follow-up season to his rookie year that was expected, and after the Hawks acquired McCollum, Risacher was moved to the bench, where his playing time began to dwindle over time.

Risacher is going to be playing on a $13,826, 040 team option this season and in October, the Hawks will have to decide if they want to pick up his $17,434,637 team option for next season. If the team does not view him as a part of their core moving forward, they are not going to want to pick up that option, which leads to the possibility of moving him before having to make that decision.

Corey Kispert is probably the one contract you could point to on the Hawks books and say it is a negative value contract. He is going to make $13,975,000 next season and has three years remaining on his deal. He was not an impact player for Atlanta and the Hawks were much worse on defense with him on the floor as opposed to off. His shooting never materialized and it is a question if he fits with what this team is trying to build moving forward.

If the Hawks are trying to free up space this offseason, they could look to move Risacher or Kispert to a team with cap space, like the Bulls or the Nets, where they don't have to take anything back. Risacher would be the easiest to move due to his age and possible upside, while Atlanta may have to attach an asset to get off Kispert if they really wanted to move off of his money.

Both players could be combined to use in a trade as well.

Overall

For the Hawks to realistically open as much space as possible it would require:

1. Not re-signing McCollum
2. Waiving Hield
3. Declining Kuminga's option and either letting him walk or bring back at lower number for first season
4. Moving Kispert and Risacher without taking salary back (very few options there)

If they did all of that, who could they pursue on the market?

The options are limited as far as free agents go, but Austin Reaves, Isaiah Hartenstein (if his team option is declined), Walker Kessler (restricted free agent) would be the names to know.