Atlanta Hawks fans are ready to see some serious changes this NBA offseason. A 40-42 record last season saw the Hawks miss the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time in the 2020s, making it clear that improvements must be made to prevent a third straight campaign with postseason basketball in Atlanta.
The Hawks haven't wasted any time shaking things up, having traded for Kristaps Porzingis last week before landing Georgia's Asa Newell with this year's 23rd overall selection the following day. More news faces could be on their way to Atlanta in the coming days, especially now that the 2025 NBA free agency negotiation period will begin on Monday.
Although the upcoming offseason phase hasn't even begun, all signs point to the Hawks leading the charge for a certain upcoming free agent.
Hawks Reportedly 'Favored' to Sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker in Free Agency
With Caris LeVert set to hit the open market, the Hawks will likely be looking for a veteran presence to replace him. That makes it no surprise, then, that Atlanta is reportedly "favored to land" Nickeil Alexander-Walker, according to RG Media's Grant Afseth.
Caris LeVert could be a potential replacement for Malik Beasley in Detroit, per @GrantAfseth
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 29, 2025
“As it stands now, multiple sources tell RG that Alexander-Walker is favored to land in Atlanta, while LeVert is trending toward ending up with the Pistons. But with Beasley’s situation… pic.twitter.com/LGePhGyoBz
Alexander-Walker is heading towards free agency now that the two-year, $9 million contract he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves is over. While some Timberwolves fans want to see the former Virginia Tech product back in Minnesota, a re-signing is less likely now that the franchise is getting ready to hand out a combined $225 million to Naz Reid and Julius Randle.
Hawks fans likely wouldn't mind an experienced veteran like Alexander-Walker being LeVert's replacement. The ex-2019 first-rounder has made 73 starts between his 418 career appearances between the NBA regular season and playoffs, and is coming off a 2024-25 performance that saw him play a personal-high 25.3 minutes per night.
Alexander-Walker is one of the more reliable two-way names in the league today, and his latest campaign proved that fact. He averaged 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.6 steals, and .438/.381/.780 shooting splits while playing 82 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time.
As far as what a contract could look like, the Hawks have the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception to work with. That could be enough to get Alexander-Walker to put pen to paper, especially since his playoff run may have slightly hurt his stock.
With the ability to make an impact at both ends of the floor, Alexander-Walker is a free agent who would fit in well with the Hawks. Assuming the latest buzz is correct, it might not take long for his potentially moving to Atlanta to turn from a dream into reality.