Team by Team: Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Team Review

2024-25 Finish: 31-51

Season Highlight: One of the few bright spots for the Atlanta Hawks last season was the breakout performance of Desmond Bane. After an injury plagued 2023-24 campaign that limited his rhythm and availability, Bane bounced back in a major way, boosting his scoring average from 18.5 points per game to an impressive 22.9. His renewed health and consistency gave Atlanta a reliable perimeter threat and added balance to an otherwise streaky Hawks offense. If he can sustain this level of production and stay healthy again, Bane could cement himself as a long-term cornerstone in Atlanta’s retooling efforts.

Season Lowlight: While the Hawks took a clear step forward in 2024-25, doubling their win total from 15 to 31, the season still had its fair share of low moments. Despite the visible progress, losing 51 games is never easy for any franchise or its fanbase to stomach. GM Bulldog can take pride in the strides made, but moral victories only go so far when the losses continue to pile up. For all the optimism surrounding their improvement, the sting of another losing season served as a humbling reminder of just how far Atlanta still has to go.

Best Trade: When evaluating the Hawks best trade, there are flashier deals to point to, but the move that best exemplifies smart asset management was the decision to trade Jay Huff for two future second round picks. Huff proved to be a serviceable rotation big, but flipping him for additional draft capital showed a disciplined, forward thinking approach by Bulldog. In a league where cap space is increasingly tight, maintaining cost controlled assets through second round selections, especially with the second round exception now in play, is quietly invaluable. The trade didn’t make headlines, but it strengthened Atlanta’s long term flexibility and preserved optionality for future moves. It’s the kind of subtle, low-risk, medium-reward transaction that good teams build on.

Worst Trade: One of the Hawks’ more questionable moves was trading Jarace Walker and two future first round picks just to reacquire their 2025 first-round pick, which became Kasparas Jakucionis. While Jakucionis has some upside, the cost of the trade feels steep. Atlanta not only took on Nassir Little’s dead salary but also gave up a young player with plenty of potential in Walker, plus two future first rounders: including Atlanta’s own 2026 pick, which could easily be more valuable than the 2025 pick they re-acquired — and Sacramento’s 2027 pick, which should be a top 20 selection. From a long-term asset management perspective, this deal undercuts the kind of low-risk, medium-reward philosophy that had worked in their favor with the other trades, such as the Jay Huff flip. Overall, it’s a move that feels more like a short term gamble than a smart strategic step forward.

Other Notable Trades:
Trade 1: Multi-Team Swap

Atlanta Hawks send:

• Leaky Black → Cleveland Cavaliers
• 1st-Rounder (CLE) → Portland Trail Blazers
• 2nd-Rounder (BOS) → Cleveland Cavaliers

Atlanta Hawks receive:

• Drew Peterson → from Portland Trail Blazers
• 1st-Rounder (ATL) → from Cleveland Cavaliers

Other key pieces:

• Cleveland: Ulrich Chomche → Portland, Josh Hart → Toronto, Herbert Jones → Cleveland
• Portland: Luguentz Dort → Portland
• Cleveland sends 2nd-rounders (OKC, CHA, CLE, SA) to Portland

GM points: ATL -15, CLE +15