The Hawks have officially been eliminated from NBA title contention after losing their first-round series to the Knicks, 4-2. Atlanta initially took a 2-1 lead but dropped the following three games, including a rather ugly Game 6 blowout defeat on Thursday night during which the Knicks hammered them, 140-89.
Despite ending their 2025-26 season on a somewhat embarrassing note, the Hawks have quite a few bright spots to look forward to, in part thanks to their franchise-altering Trae Young trade in January. Here’s what the Hawks could have in store in what could be a busy NBA offseason:
Hawks’ 2026 free agents
Here's a list of the Hawks’ unrestricted and restricted free agents this summer:
Unrestricted free agents
- C.J. McCollum
- Gabe Vincent
- Jock Landale
- Tony Bradley
Restricted free agents
- Keaton Wallace
- Christian Koloko
- RayJ Dennis
Club option
- Jonathan Kuminga
- Mouhamed Gueye
At the top of the list is the newly minted so-called “villain” of the Knicks, C.J. McCollum. Since joining Atlanta after the Trae Young trade, McCollum has turned into a valuable veteran leader and surprisingly great fit for the team, with the organization already looking to bring him back, per Marc Stein. The 34-year-old played some of his best basketball with the Hawks in this year’s playoffs; entering Game 6, he was averaging 20.8 points per game while shooting 48.8% from the field. Given his fit, re-signing McCollum is a no-brainer for Atlanta.
Stein also mentioned some floating rumors about coach Quin Snyder’s future with the Hawks. Snyder has one year left on his contract but has elicited “strong front office support” for a new deal, especially after he helped coach Atlanta to a 20-6 record following the All-Star break and avoid the play-in tournament for the first time in half a decade. One could argue this has been the team’s most successful season since 2020-21, when they went all the way to the Eastern Conference finals.
Another big name to watch is former Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, whom Atlanta has control over via a club option. The Hawks have two choices: bring him back for another season, or decline the option and negotiate what would probably be a long-term deal. It’s the same question Golden State had a year ago, with the Warriors ultimately dragging out that saga before trading him in February.
Kuminga got off to a strong start in Atlanta but hasn’t been the most consistent on the court and noticeably dropped off in form in the final three games of the playoff series against the Knicks. Whether the Hawks seriously consider him a long-term piece of their core is one of the biggest questions looming above the organization this summer.
Hawks’ draft assets
The Hawks have one of the brightest futures of any NBA team thanks to their bevy of picks in 2026 and beyond. Here’s what they got so far through 2030:
- 2026: first- and second-round picks, plus another first-rounder that is the more favorable between the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ picks
- 2027: first- and second-round picks
- 2028: first-round pick
- 2029: first- and second-round picks
- 2030: first-round pick, and two second-round picks
Thanks to the Young trade, Atlanta also has the financial flexibility to move away from being a top-heavy squad and continue reshaping their future for years to come. Rather than needing to launch into a full rebuild after dealing Young, the organization is already a few steps into what looks like an extremely successful soft reset centered around its emerging young core of Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and others.
More NBA from Sports Illustrated
- Jaden McDaniels Is the NBA’s New King of Trash Talk
- A Little Perspective on NBA Playoff Ratings
- SI:AM | Six Mind-Boggling Stats About the Knicks’ Historic Blowout Win
- SI:CYMI | Like Zohran Mamdani, Knicks Get The Job Done
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hawks Offseason Preview: Top Free Agents After Season Ends in Brutal Fashion vs. Knicks.
