The Atlanta Hawks opted not to make a splash in the early days of free agency, opting to re-sign C.J. McCollum and Jock Landale. Keeping the roster together makes sense after the Hawks were the lone team to beat the eventual champion New York Knicks more than once in the playoffs. However, what hasn't changed is the clear lack of an elite scorer to take over when the game matters most. It appears the franchise is content leaning on McCollum and hoping Jalen Johnson takes that next leap.
It is a risk when you look at the teams the Hawks are competing against in a suddenly crowded Eastern Conference. Consider the talent with Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, and Donovan Mitchell all as primary options for teams expected to be in the playoff field for the 2026-27 season.
Who on Atlanta's roster can you point to and reasonably expect to go toe-to-toe when the game is on the line? Having the best team is clearly the goal, but a cohesive roster is only going to get you so far if you don't have a primary scorer capable of carrying your team through a potential playoff line.
Consider the past five champions with Jalen Brunson, SGA, Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown, Nikola Jokic, and Steph Curry all setting the tone. Who on Atlanta's roster is capable of filling this role and pushing the Hawks towards the ultimate goal?
Hawks 2026 Offseason Continues to Point to Obvious Weakness Matching up with Playoff Teams
This isn't to say that Atlanta's core isn't incredibly talented or to disrespect the clear depth the franchise has assembled. Rather, pointing out that to win a championship, the blueprint clearly says you need an established scorer to support your core. Atlanta had the chance to fix this shortcoming in the offseason with Jaylen Brown previously on the trade market. A chance that the franchise is likely going to regret missing on despite the hefty contract.
For the Hawks, the future remains bright with a strong group of draft picks and plenty of picks to either find a future investment or get a deal done. There is also the hope that one of your current pieces takes a development leap and becomes that missing piece.
No matter the answer, the reality remains that the Hawks are a great team that lacks the one final piece to make a championship push. A concern that the team still has plenty of time to fix with a long offseason remaining.
Add us as a preferred source on Google