It has been an active and fruitful offseason for the Atlanta Hawks. New general manager Onsi Saleh has done a masterful job of revamping the roster around Trae Young and catapulting the Hawks into a potential home-court advantage team in the Eastern Conference.
The job, however, wasn't done. The Hawks had key free agency decisions to make, and perhaps the most important of them all was Caris LeVert. After being acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers at the trade deadline, LeVert had emerged as a solid rotation player for Atlanta, averaging 14.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 26.6 minutes per game. His shot creation next to Young while being able to guard multiple positions was a big asset for the Hawks down the stretch.
Even though many assumed that LeVert would be back in Atlanta for the reasons above, Hawks fans received surprising news that the veteran shooting guard was signing with the Detroit Pistons for a two-year, $29 million deal.
Free agent guard Caris LeVert has agreed to a two-year, $29 million deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell ESPN. Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports and the Pistons negotiated terms of a deal that brings backcourt depth and a Michigan return. pic.twitter.com/C7KY8Arnra
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025
Hawks Make the Mistake of Not Beating Detroit's Offer for Caris LeVert
This is a team-friendly deal for a player of LeVert's caliber, and it's one that the Hawks should have matched or beaten.
Perhaps LeVert chose Detroit over Atlanta with the hopes of starting next to Cade Cunningham there. With Tim Hardaway Jr. likely gone, there could be a starting spot available in Detroit while LeVert's path to starting was a challenging one in Atlanta after Dyson Daniels' emergence.
The Hawks could replace LeVert with a better player in free agency. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been rumored as a possibility, and if that were to happen, the Hawks will almost certainly not miss LeVert. Until then, however, Hawks fans will have to consider the chance that they may regret not paying LeVert what he was looking for in free agency.