The NBA preseason has wrapped up, and the regular season begins on Wednesday for the Atlanta Hawks. After an under-the-radar offseason, compared to their Eastern Conference counterparts, the Hawks are hoping that player development, roster retention, rookies, and some smart trade additions to get them back to the playoffs and potentially win a series this time around.

Optionality is a favorite word of Hawks President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh, and while making this roster better over the summer was one of the goals for the front office, keeping flexibility was also one.

The Hawks have one of the best financial situations in the league and also have enough expiring contracts to put together if a star player they desire becomes available. CJ McCollum ($21 million), Lu Dort ($17.8 million), Jock Landale ($14 million), Dorian Finney-Smith ($14.1 million, non-guaranteed salary in 2027-2028), and Mouhamed Gueye ($2.4 million) make up nearly $70 million in expiring money that could be used in trades or to open up a large amount of cap space next summer to pursue a star player via free agency or trade.

On the latest episode of the Hoop Collective Podcast, ESPN NBA insiders Brian Windhorst and Tim McMahon were talking about the Hawks positioning this season in the Eastern Conference and mentioned Atlanta as a team to watch for a big trade or next summer with their cap space:

“The Hawks have set themselves up to be a top 6 team in the east. There’s are more good teams in the East than the West now. Now i don’t know if it’ll play out that way at the top of the conferences. With how many championship contenders we have. But the Hawks are set up to be competitive this year. They are also definitely someone to keep an eye on for a big trade this year, and will have cap space next year. Maybe Karl Towns is a free agent, maybe Anthony Davis is a free agent.”

Favorable position

There is no denying that the Hawks are in a good position to make a move, but the tricky thing about this position is that you don't know what star players could become available via trade or free agency. Real star players leaving their teams as free agents is becoming more rare and not something that you can count on.

Windhorst mentioned a potential target in the podcast episode and also wrote yesterday that if Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns were to decline his player option next summer, the Hawks are one of the early teams to watch, while also saying it is unlikely that Towns actually leaves:

"If Towns isn't extended, he could opt out and enter free agency. There definitely are teams -- starting with the Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers, and Atlanta Hawks -- that would probably line up to make big offers. This is what other teams are studying with the Knicks."

Towns would be a great option for the Hawks, but I still find it unlikely that he makes it to free agency or leaves the Knicks.

With the players that the Hawks already have on guaranteed contracts for this season and entering next, the time to make a move might be soon.

Atlanta is focusing on the actual basketball on the court as they try to compete in a difficult Eastern Conference, but the front office has this franchise well positioned to strike when the time is right and elevate this this team into a contender.