The Atlanta Hawks wrapped up their 2024-25 season earlier than they wanted to, losing back-to-back games in the Play-In Tournament to fall short of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. While the team did take a step forward in winning four more games despite a youth movement, an impactful summer awaits for the Hawks, and that leads to many questions.
Here is a look at the five biggest offseason questions for Atlanta.
Will Trae Young sign an extension?
Even before Atlanta's early exit from the 2024-25 season, the reality that Trae Young is extension-eligible was looming. On one hand, Young is the most high-profile player to wear a Hawks jersey since Dominique Wilkins more than three decades ago, and he also just led the NBA in assists by a comfortable margin, clearly buying into Quin Snyder's direction and carrying an offense with (very) limited personnel throughout the season. On the other, Young can sign for more than $200 million over four seasons and, given his age and size, there could be concerns about the back half of that kind of contractual commitment.
Perhaps there is a middle ground in which Young takes less than his maximum (a la Jalen Brunson) to make things easier for the Hawks from a team-building standpoint. However, if he doesn't, the trade whispers will likely get louder, as Young has only one more guaranteed season on his contract. This could be a 1,500-word topic on its own, but one thing to consider that, while Atlanta's young core of Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu is quite attractive, the pieces don't look as appetizing without a No. 1 offensive option to make it all flow.
Who will be in charge?
On Monday, the Hawks surprised the NBA world by relieving general manager Landry Fields of his duties. Hawks governor Tony Ressler also announced that the franchise was hiring a search firm with the goal of hiring an experienced President of Basketball Operations, all while promoting Onsi Saleh to the general manager position. It is a bit odd to elevate an executive, only to then pursue someone on top of Saleh. The same could be said for having an entrenched head coach and hiring a president that might want to make his or her own hire. Regardless, there is uncertainty at the top for the Hawks.
Of course, that is nothing new. Ressler is a famously active owner, which can often lead to trouble with basketball operations. His son, Nick, has reportedly been involved in basketball decisions on a repeated basis, and much of the reporting around Fields was that Atlanta's decision-making process is much more collaborative than one of Fields acting as the clear lead decision maker. Alas, the Hawks might hire a president soon, and a lot can change based on who that is.
How will the Hawks use the flexibility created in the De'Andre Hunter trade?
When the Hawks traded De'Andre Hunter before the 2025 NBA Trade Deadline, the move was met with confusion in many circles. However, a closer look pointed to the move being much more about the future than the present, including the creation of financial and roster flexibility by removing Hunter's significant contract from the books.
Without diving into all of the gritty (and nerdy) financial details, the logical grading of Hunter trade was an "incomplete," pending future moves by Atlanta. If the Hawks do not utilize the flexibility by adding quality to the roster, the Hunter trade would become more challenging to defend. The Hawks need forward depth, shooting depth, and more, and Atlanta has more wiggle room because of the Hunter trade... but they have to utilize that flexibility.
Will Dyson Daniels sign an extension?
This decision isn't as urgent or impactful as some others on the list, simply because there is a safety valve. If the Hawks and Daniels cannot agree on an extension this summer, Daniels would enter restricted free agency in 2026, and Atlanta could match any offer sheet to retain him.
Still, this is an interesting negotiations. Daniels was one of the best defenders in the NBA this season, producing steals at a rate not seen in three decades while also defending the No. 1 option of the opponent each night. On offense, Daniels also took a massive step forward, carrying a real load as a scorer and averaging more than four assists per game.
Defense doesn't always get paid, though, and Daniels' representatives will likely turn to the Jalen Suggs extension from last summer (5 for 150) as a potential template. Are the Hawks willing to go that far or higher? We'll see.
Will the Hawks finally spend big?
The Atlanta Hawks haven't paid the luxury tax since 2010-11 and, even then, the team paid less than $1 million in tax penalties under a system that no longer exists. In short, the Hawks have a well-documented history of luxury tax avoidance, including the reality that the current ownership group, led by Tony Ressler, has never paid the tax since buying the team in 2015.
It is not impossible to build a contender without spending big, but clear restraints make it hard on basketball operations. Atlanta could be a good example moving forward. The Hawks have team-friendly deals in place for Johnson and Okongwu, plus Risacher is on a rookie-scale deal for three more seasons. That should be the foundation of a quality salary structure, but when you plug in something near the max for Young, a reasonable extension for Daniels, and the money you need to supplement the roster with real depth... things get expensive.
Ressler has often said the right things about financially supporting his basketball ops department, and a big move to relieve Fields of his duties and hire a new president shines a bright light on the team's short-term process. Does he want a big splash? Is he willing to spend in a way he hasn't to date? These things are correlated, and if the Hawks are intentionally ducking the luxury tax again over the next year or two, it will feel like the "same old Hawks" in many ways.