Hawks still have two roster moves to make before season

The Hawks have 17 players on standard contracts. Eventually, they’re going to need 15.

That makes Atlanta one of several teams with some roster housekeeping left to handle before the regular season, and this weekend offers at least a couple opportunities to get started.

As Jackson Caudell of NBA on SI noted, Saturday is the deadline for teams to waive a player and stretch his 2026-27 salary. Meanwhile, guard Devin Carter becomes eligible to be traded Sunday.

Neither means the Hawks have to do anything immediately. But something has to give eventually.

Buddy Hield is one player worth watching. He’s owed $9.6 million this season and isn’t expected to have a significant role after Atlanta added Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins to an already crowded backcourt.

Hield could theoretically be waived and stretched if the Hawks can’t find a trade, though Atlanta is comfortably below the luxury tax and doesn’t have an obvious financial reason to take that route.

Carter presents another possibility. The Hawks acquired the former lottery pick from Sacramento earlier this offseason, along with a second-round pick. Now that he’ll be eligible to be traded, Atlanta could explore moving him again to clear one of its two necessary spots.

Mouhamed Gueye and Ryan Nembhard also have non-guaranteed contracts, though Nembhard can’t be traded until Sept. 19. Corey Kispert is another name who could potentially be moved, but his contract makes waiving him considerably less practical.

So there are options. There just aren’t any particularly exciting ones.

Then again, when you’re trying to get from 17 players to 15, exciting isn’t really the point.