The Atlanta Hawks begin their 2025 Las Vegas Summer League journey on Friday afternoon with a matchup against the Miami Heat. While the Hawks do not have a full-blown headliner on the order of last year's appearance from No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta's Summer League roster is highly intriguing.
The group features a couple of recent first round picks — Kobe Bufkin and Asa Newell — that already project to be on Atlanta's 2025-26 NBA roster. Bufkin and Newell are on guaranteed contracts and, in addition, newly signed forward Eli Ndiaye is already signed to a Two-Way contract for the upcoming campaign. Those three players are clearly in Atlanta's plans, but in examining the rest of the summer roster, there are four more prospects that have potential pathways to crash the party in the best possible way.
Here is a look at those four sleepers (in alphabetical order) with conceivable routes to the big league club.
Lamont Butler
In the hours following the 2025 NBA Draft, reports emerged that Lamont Butler could be signing a Two-Way contract. To date, Butler has not signed such a deal, but he is in Vegas with the Hawks, and the former San Diego State and Kentucky guard was clearly a priority for Atlanta.
Butler is a tremendous point-of-attack defender, and the five-year college player showed to be a proven winner in his two previous stops. He also improved his perimeter shooting at Kentucky, making 39 percent of his 3-pointers last season, and the Hawks do have an opening at point guard behind Bufkin and, of course, Trae Young.
Nikola Đurišić
Đurišić is an odd case in that he was drafted with the No. 43 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he has yet to sign an NBA contract. While most "draft-and-stash" players operate overseas in the immediate aftermath of the draft, Đurišić suffered an injury at the 2024 NBA Summer League, and that threw a wrench in things. Ultimately, Đurišić signed a G League contract with Atlanta's affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, and the Hawks continue to have his draft rights.
Long story short, there is a clear pathway to Đurišić ending up on an NBA contract. The Hawks clearly have interest in the 6'7 guard, and Đurišić has upside as a playmaker. Atlanta could conceivably use the second round pick exception to give him a long-term deal at a bargain-basement price.
Adam Flagler
Flagler was perhaps the most surprising name to pop up on Atlanta's Summer League roster. Though he is a local product from nearby Duluth High School, Flagler spent the last two seasons on a Two-Way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he is overqualified for a Summer League invite.
The 25-year-old guard is a big-time shooter, knocking down 41 percent of his 3-point attempts in the G League and more than 40 percent of those long-range shots in three seasons at Baylor. Flagler also has intrigue as an on-ball player and, because he is still Two-Way eligible, there are multiple avenues for the Hawks to explore if they would like to keep him in the organization for the 2025-26 season and beyond.
Kobe Johnson
Johnson is perhaps best known as the younger brother of Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, but he is a real prospect on his own. The former UCLA and USC wing is a top-tier defensive prospect, and Atlanta has shown a repeated interest in surrounding Trae Young with perimeter defenders like Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
To be clear, Johnson is a long way from being an impact guy in the NBA, simply because his offense is a work in progress. However, the Hawks have already invested an Exhibit 10 contract in Johnson. If he impresses, it wouldn't be shocking to see him on a Two-Way, or even a standard, deal before training camp begins in October.