Updated Salary Cap/Roster Outlook For The Atlanta Hawks After Lu Dort Trade

How was the Hawks salary cap and roster space affected by the recent trade for Lu Dort?

Apr 2, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) stands during Los Angeles Lakers free throw baskets during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The NBA had been silent for a couple of weeks, but the Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Dallas Mavericks disrupted that today with a pretty big three-team deal.

The headliner of the deal was the Hawks sending three second-round picks to the Thunder for Lu Dort, but Atlanta also sent former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks and got back Ryan Nembhard.

This does a lot of things for Atlanta and one of them is ensure that more roster moves are coming. Atlanta was already at 16 members of its roster and now it is at 17. You can carry up to 21 in the summer, but by the time the season rolls around, it has to be at 15. There is more work to do for the Hawks.

Updated Salary Cap and Roster Outlook

1. Jalen Johnson-$30,000,000
2. Dyson Daniels- $25,000,000
3. CJ McCollum- $21,000,000
4. Luguentz Dort- $17,722,222
4. Onyeka Okongwu-$16,100,000
5. Nickeil Alexander-Walker- $14,403,710
6. Jock Landale- $14,000,000
7. Corey Kispert- $13,975,000
9. Buddy Hield- $9,658,536
10. Aaron Wiggins- $9,028,038
11. Kingston Flemings- $7,348,680
12. Devin Carter- $5,158,080
13. Zuby Ejiofor- $3,453,360
14. Asa Newell- $3,399,480
15. Mouhamed Gueye- $2,406,205
16. Ryan Nembhard- $2,150,917
17. Henri Veesaar-$1,357,763

As you can see, the Hawks have too many players.

Atalnta is at $196,161,991 for those 17 players and around $4 million away from the luxury tax.

The Hawks also have a large number of expiring contracts and potential expiring contracts.

CJ McCollum, Jock Landale, Dort, Mouhamed Gueye, and the recently acquired Nembhard are all expiring contracts and would be unrestricted free agents if they are not extended or traded during the season.

Buddy Hield's contract becomes fully guaranteed for $10,097,560 on the first day after the 2027 NBA Draft. If he is waived before then, he is owed only $3,136,364, sdand the Hawks (or whatever team he is on) would save nearly $7 million in cap space. He is not technically an expiring contract, but it would not be hard to move him off the roster.

Devin Carter also has a team option for $7,370,897 that must be decided on by Oct. 31st. If it is declined, then Carter becomes an expiring contract of $5,158,080 to use this season.

Asa Newell, the Hawks first-round pick in 2024, has a team option for $3,560,880 for next season, but you can expect the Hawks to pick that up.

All of those players combined is $55,384,957 in expiring salary.

It is clear the Hawks are trying to keep their options open to either make a big trade or have cap flexibility next summer. Does that guarantee them anything? No, but they are going to be one of the most interesting teams to watch the rest of the offseason and into next summer.