3 Atlanta Hawks who definitely won't be back next season

The Atlanta Hawks have been arguably the most disappointing and puzzling franchise in the NBA over the past few seasons after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020-21, with a combined regular season record of 120-124 since.

Atlanta has a deep roster filled with talented young players. But they have not gelled the way many had hoped or expected, especially considering how much the Hawks have invested in the current nucleus of their roster, which is why they are likely to experience some offseason turmoil at season's end.

It would be shocking to see any of these three players back with the Hawks next season after yet another substandard year as the team looks to get their financial ducks in a row because it is getting difficult to justify being roughly $20 million over the salary cap and pushing up on the second apron for an underachieving roster. 

3. Saddiq Bey

The pending departure of wing Saddiq Bey is a prime example of Atlanta's past decisions coming up to them.

After giving up five second-round picks to acquire Bey ahead of the 2023 trade deadline as part of a four-team deal with the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and Detroit Pistons, they will be hard-pressed to match any bid he receives in restricted free agency due to their cap issues. And he is assuredly going to surpass his $6.498 million qualifying offer across multiple years in terms of average annual value in his next deal.

Bey has averaged 13.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest with .429/.337/.841 shooting splits across two seasons with the Hawks. However, he struggled mightily from beyond the arc this year before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee on Mar. 10, posting a 31.6 percent clip on 5.7 nightly attempts.

Despite the injury and shooting woes, Bey should have several suitors this offseason as a capable scorer who offers positional versatility as someone who can play both forward spots entering his age-25 campaign. But he has played his last game as a Hawk, barring unforeseen circumstances in free agency.

2. Clint Capela

While Clint Capela may not have necessarily done anything to merit being jettisoned out of Atlanta this offseason, it is more about his understudy, Onyeka Okongwu — a rising young center who has proven he deserves to be a more prominent figure in the rotation.

The Hawks spent the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft on Okongwu, and he has seen his role behind Capela expand yearly, arguably outplaying him this season. He is shooting 33.3 percent from 3 this season, albeit only on 1.3 attempts per game. But the threat of him on the perimeter and forcing opponents to pull their center from the paint offers an intriguing layer to the Hawks' offense, which does not exist when Capela is on the court. Moreover, he provides little-to-no dropoff on defense, swatting 1.1 shots nightly. 

Capela classifies as the traditional NBA center: a rim-running lob threat on the offensive end of the floor and an interior defensive presence on the other. He is essentially a one-trick pony due to his limitations. And that can make it difficult to mix and match him across different lineups.

Entering the final year of his contract, Capela offers value to rival teams as an expiring contract alone, or they could take a flier on the big man in hopes of re-signing him. But considering the Hawks have Okongwu lurking in the shadows and he has shown he is prepared to burst onto the scene, it is unlikely they extend him to the potentially hefty multi-year contract he will command in unrestricted free agency in 2025, making him an all-but-certain trade candidate this offseason.

1. Trae Young/Dejounte Murray

Many thought the Hawks were forming one of the best backcourts in the NBA when they acquired two-way combo guard Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in 2022 as part of a blockbuster trade. But that has been far from the case, with the two looking like a clunky on-court fit. That is why it is reportedly "likely" that Atlanta trades one of the two this summer, per NBA insider Marc Stein.

But it is unclear which of the two will get moved, so both Young and Murray are featured on this list under the expectation that one will be out of the picture next season.

We have a small sample size of what the Hawks look like with Murray and without Young in the lineup, while the latter has been recovering from a torn ligament in his finger that he suffered on Feb. 23, which required surgery and has kept him sidelined since. Atlanta has gone 12-12 in that span, compared to the 24-32 record they posted pre-injury, and their defensive rating has improved from 122.1 to 115.1.

Could this be a precursor and blueprint for a post-Young Hawks era with Murray at the helm? If so, Atlanta would have no shortage of suitors for the three-time All-Star floor general and would certainly receive a nice haul in any trade involving him.

However, Murray would also offer plenty of value on the trade market, especially considering he is under contract for at least the next three seasons (player option in 2027-28) with a relatively team-friendly $28.5 million average annual salary.

Regardless, it feels safe to say that one of Young or Murray will not return to Atlanta after this season.