Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Mathurin, Embiid, George, Ivey, Risacher

November 18th, 2025 at 10:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers’ losing streak stretched to eight games on Monday but there was a silver lining in their loss to the red-hot Pistons, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star points out. Bennedict Mathurin, who had missed 11 games due to a toe sprain, scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half.

Mathurin asserts that the team has the ability to turn things around.

“We’re 1-13 right now,” Mathurin said. “There’s teams in the NBA that have won 10 games in a row. Why can’t we be the team that wins 10 games in a row? It’s just about believing. It’s just about doing what’s right for our team. … People act like it’s the end of the world. If we were 1-57 I’d say maybe, but it’s 1-13. We’ve played 14 games. It’s not even 15% percent of the season, so I’m still positive, man.”

Center Isaiah Jackson feels the same way.

“I think energy is everything,” he said. “One guy gets going and it can give us a spark. I think that’s all you need. We’re just gonna continue to keep going.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Joel Embiid is listed as doubtful due to right knee injury management for the Sixers’ game against Toronto on Wednesday, Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice tweets. Paul George won’t play due to what the team describes as left knee injury recovery. Embiid hasn’t played since Nov. 8, while George made his season debut on Monday and played 21 minutes, in which he contributed nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a win over the Clippers. Wednesday’s game is the first of a back-to-back set, so George seems likely to suit up on Thursday.
The Pistons assigned guard Jaden Ivey to their G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, for conditioning purposes, their PR department tweets. A restricted free agent after this season, Ivey hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since New Year’s Day, when he suffered a fractured left fibula. He recovered from that injury over the offseason, but underwent right knee surgery during the preseason last month.
Hawks second-year forward Zaccharie Risacher missed his team’s game against the Pistons on Tuesday due to a left hip contusion but he should return soon, according to Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He suffered a nasty fall during a dunk attempt against the Suns on Sunday. Risacher’s legs swung up and he somersaulted and crashed to the floor, landing on his left side.

Southeast Notes: Adebayo, Banchero, Mann, Wizards, Alexander-Walker

November 18th, 2025 at 12:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat center Bam Adebayo hasn’t played since November 5 due to a toe injury, but he could be back in action Wednesday. He’s listed as questionable to play against Golden State, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets.

Miami has posted a 4-2 record in his absence.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Paolo Banchero will miss his third consecutive game on Tuesday due to a groin strain. However, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said his star player is making progress, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. “Paolo’s doing well,” Mosley said. “He’s been going through some non-contact, hard weight room workouts with our training staff. His spirits are great.”
Hornets guard Tre Mann departed Monday’s game against Toronto with left ankle soreness, the team’s PR department tweets. He played 12 minutes before exiting. Mann is averaging 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 22 minutes per game.
The Wizards have gotten a little too good at tanking, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post writes. They suffered a 23-point blowout at the hands of another rebuilding team, the Nets, on Sunday. It was the Wizards’ 11th straight defeat and their NBA-worst sixth loss by at least 20 points. According to forward Kyshawn George, coach Brian Keefe gave this message to the team after the game, before the players held their own meeting: “Look at yourself in the mirror and answer the deeper questions. It’s more than basketball. What do you really want in life? What do you want to build? What do we want to do here as an organization? Just make sure you answer the question correctly and come up with the correct mindset the next day.”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was acquired by the Hawks in a sign-and-trade deal this summer. He delivered in the clutch against Phoenix on Sunday, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter to help Atlanta erase a 22-point deficit in the two-point victory. That capped a 4-0 road swing. “I just think we have a resilient group. I think we put our head down when we came together this entire trip,” Alexander-Walker said, per Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Nikola Jokic, Jalen Johnson Named Players Of The Week

November 17th, 2025 at 5:18pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week, while Hawks forward Jalen Johnson has won the award in the East, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter).

Jokic, who won the weekly honor in the West for the second straight time (19th overall), had another phenomenal week, even by his lofty standards. He led Denver to three road victories, averaging 39.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.7 steals on .737/.643/.889 shooting splits.

Jokic’s week was highlighted by a 55-point outburst against the Clippers in which he recorded 52 points, 11 rebounds and six assists through only three quarters, the first player to have such a stat line through three periods since the NBA began play-by-play tracking in 1997/98, per the Nuggets. He notched another three points and one rebound in two-plus minutes in the fourth, shooting 18-of-23 from the field, 5-of-6 from three, and 14-of-16 from the line in 34 minutes.

The Nuggets have won seven straight games and are currently 10-2, only trailing the 13-1 Thunder in the West. Jokic, a three-time MVP who finished as the runner-up in the two seasons he didn’t win the award over the past five years, is averaging career highs in several statistical categories in 2025/26.

Johnson had a spectacular stretch of games himself in winning his first Player of the Week award. The 23-year-old guided Atlanta to a perfect 4-0 record on the team’s Western Conference road trip, the first time the Hawks have gone undefeated on a West trip spanning at least four games since 1970/71. He averaged 24.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.5 steals on .603/.571/.783 shooting.

Johnson had a historic stat line on Thursday in Utah, recording career highs in points (31), rebounds (18), assists (14) and steals (seven), the first player to meet all of those statistical benchmarks in a game since steals became an official stat in ’73/74. The Hawks are now 9-5, tied for the No. 3 seed in the East.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden, Lauri Markkanen and Alperen Sengun. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Scottie Barnes, Jaylen Brown, Pistons two-way guard Daniss Jenkins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Franz Wagner were nominated in the East.

Eastern Notes: Hawks, Embiid, McConnell, Robinson, Ball

November 11th, 2025 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Trae Young is currently on the shelf with a strained MCL, while Kristaps Porzingis isn’t yet producing at his usual level, but the Hawks have picked up back-to-back wins due in large part to big games from unlikely sources.

As Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, third-year forward Mouhamed Gueye came up big in Saturday’s victory over the Lakers, scoring a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting while also contributing seven rebounds and seven assists. It was a career night for Gueye, who was making his second start of the season with several regulars – including Porzingis and Jalen Johnson – sidelined.

“He’s been hungry,” head coach Quin Snyder said after the game. “He wants to get better. He’s putting the time in games, like tonight, he gets even more opportunity to do that, obviously, on the floor.”

Gueye had a quiet night off the bench on Monday vs. the Clippers, but fellow reserve Vit Krejci set his own career high in points (28), as well as three-pointers, knocking down 8-of-10 tries from beyond the arc. As Williams details, Krejci’s hot shooting helped fuel Atlanta’s comeback, and his banked-in three-pointer to beat the shot clock with 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter helped seal the win (video link).

Both Gueye and Krejci are on multiyear minimum-salary contracts, so the Hawks have the ability to retain them on team-friendly deals beyond this season.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Sixers center Joel Embiid has been ruled out of Tuesday’s contest vs. Boston due to right knee soreness, the team announced today (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). It’s Embiid’s first non-scheduled absence so far this season, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. It’s also worth noting that it’s not the knee that has been a recurring issue for the big man in recent years — Embiid underwent surgery on his left knee in the spring. He’s being evaluated further by team doctors, per the Sixers.
Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell, who was said over the weekend to be “getting closer” to making his season debut, has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s game in Utah, according to the team (Twitter link). McConnell has yet to play this fall due to a left hamstring strain, but his return appears to be imminent — if he’s unable to suit up against the Jazz, the veteran’s next opportunity to play would be on Thursday in Phoenix.
Mitchell Robinson has played sparingly so far this season, suiting up for just four of the Knicks‘ first nine games as the team carefully manages his workload. However, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes, Robinson has made the most of his limited role, grabbing nine offensive rebounds in 16 minutes vs. Minnesota last Wednesday, then finishing as a remarkable +40 in less than 17 minutes of action against Brooklyn on Sunday. “I don’t really fall into the plus-minus stuff a ton, but it’s another amazing stat,” head coach Mike Brown said. “He keeps throwing up these stats that are amazing. … To impact the game that way — again, not a huge believer in it — but to see a number like that in the short amount of time he was playing, was just amazing.”
Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball was assigned to the G League on Tuesday to practice with the Greensboro Swarm (Twitter link). Ball has missed Charlotte’s past four games due to a right ankle impingement, but head coach Charles Lee expressed enthusiasm on Monday about the progress the 24-year-old has made in his recovery (Twitter video link via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer).

And-Ones: First-Time All-Stars, Adubato, BAL, Wood, More

November 7th, 2025 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Maher

As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton writes, there has been an average of between five and six first-time All-Stars over the past five years, including six first-time honorees last season. Pelton lists 10 players who have a shot at making their first mid-season exhibition game in 2025/26 based on their strong starts.

The All-Star format will be different again this year, Pelton notes, with two eight-player teams from the United States and one eight-player international group competing in a round-robin tournament. Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (Israel) and Bulls guard Josh Giddey (Australia) are among the international candidates on Pelton’s list, with Lakers guard Austin Reaves and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson among the first-time American candidates.

Reaves will miss his third straight game on Saturday in Atlanta due to a right groin strain, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA assistant and head coach Richie Adubato has passed away at age 87, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Adubato’s NBA coaching career spanned two decades, spending time with Detroit, New York, Dallas, Cleveland and Orlando. The New Jersey native also coached the WNBA’s New York Liberty and Washington Mystics, Beede adds, and was a radio analyst for the Magic from 2005-20. Our condolences go out to Adubato’s friends and family.
The Basketball Africa League has largely been run as a tournament over the past several years, but NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that the BAL will eventually have 12 teams and permanent franchises, though when that will happen is still to be determined. Spears hears there will likely be 10 permanent franchises down the line, with the other two spots going to annual at-large qualifying teams.
Former NBA big man Christian Wood reportedly fired three gunshots at the ground to scare away three men who broke into a Los Angeles home he was inside on Wednesday, according to Alex Valdes of The Athletic. The LAPD told The Athletic that no property was taken in the incident, and the suspects fled the scene after being confronted. Wood, a 30-year-old forward/center, was waived by the Lakers in February 2025, but hasn’t played in a game since February 2024 due to a knee injury.
A variety of former NBA figures have migrated to the college basketball scene over the past year because of the introduction of NIL deals and the transfer portal. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) takes a deep dive on the topic, writing that universities have pursued NBA talent due to their skills and expertise in navigating a variety of different job responsibilities that previously weren’t needed at the college level. “The trend will only continue to accelerate,” said Wes Wilcox, who left his post as assistant GM for the Kings late last season to become GM of the Utah Utes. “The number of colleges looking toward the NBA to help in this space is only going to rise.”

Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Young, Zion, Ball, Giannis

November 7th, 2025 at 9:14am CST by Arthur Hill

Trae Young is still the top star on a Hawks team that’s expected to be a contender in the East, but a rival executive believes Atlanta officials will at least listen to trade offers for the 27-year-old guard, according to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Young’s future is uncertain because he holds a $49MM player option for 2026/27 and can become a free agent next summer. The Hawks could pursue an extension at any time, but there were no negotiations during the offseason and sources tell Windhorst that no progress has been made on that front.

Young’s situation is complicated by a sprained MCL that will sideline him for at least three more weeks. He led the NBA in assists last season, but he got off to a slow start this year and it’s possible that the Hawks could have a promising future without him. They have a collection of young talent centered around Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher, and they hold the Pelicans’ unprotected first-rounder in next year’s draft.

“Atlanta is good enough to keep Trae and be good and make the playoffs,” an Eastern Conference executive told Bontemps. “But with the pick and Jalen, Dyson and Zach, they’ll at least pick up the phone and listen when called (about Young).”

The Hawks are 3-1 since Young’s injury, although two of those wins came against Brooklyn and Indiana, who are a combined 2-14. Per Windhorst, the sense around the league is that Atlanta’s front office, as well as Young’s representatives, will see how the season plays out before trying to determine his value. He’s eligible for an extension worth up to a projected $230MM over four years, and the team has already committed a combined $55MM to Johnson and Daniels for next season while facing Kristaps Porzingis‘ upcoming free agency.

Bontemps and Windhorst share information on three other NBA stars:

There’s not much trade interest in Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who’s currently sidelined with a strained left hamstring. The authors point out that it’s already the fifth hamstring injury of Williamson’s career, and he continues to experience physical issues despite his commitment to improved conditioning. Williamson’s contract isn’t guaranteed for the next two years, but teams aren’t eager to take a chance on him considering his history. New Orleans doesn’t own its 2026 first-rounder, so the team’s best option seems to be trying to improve the talent around him. “To be honest, their move might be a win-now trade, not a Zion trade,” a rival executive said. “His trade value isn’t there and they are facing some pressure to win.”
Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is another talented but oft-injured player who doesn’t seem likely to be traded soon, according to Bontemps and Windhorst. There was hope for improvement in Charlotte this season based on a young core of Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, but Miller is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury and Ball has already missed two games due to an ankle impingement. “Yes, he’s talented, but he doesn’t take basketball seriously enough,” a Western Conference scout said. “It’s hard to build a winner with him because of how he plays, and the liberties he takes for himself when he plays. Would someone take a flier on him? For sure. But Charlotte isn’t taking a flier price for him.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo trade speculation has calmed down with the Bucks off to a 5-3 start. Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.3 PPG while shooting 67.7% from the field, and his revamped supporting cast has been better than expected. However, Windhorst advises caution, pointing to an earlier report from Shams Charania that Antetokounmpo is likely to take 20 to 25 games to assess whether the team can be a real contender.

Southeast Notes: Hawks Employee Indictment, Young, Larsson, Ball

November 4th, 2025 at 10:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A former Hawks employee has been charged with fraud and embezzling $3.8MM from the franchise, according to an indictment brought last week by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, Joe Vardon and Sam Amick report.

Lester Jones, who was the team’s senior vice president of financial planning and analysis, reportedly charged trips to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Thailand, Switzerland and other countries; paid for a Porsche; and bought tickets to concerts and other events on corporate credit cards. Jones was in a romantic relationship with another team employee and allegedly bought her expensive gifts via corporate funds.

Evidence of his alleged crimes was uncovered through a team-backed audit. Jones pleaded not guilty and was released on a $10K bond last week.

We have more on the Southeast Division:

Hawks star guard Trae Young has a sprained MCL and will miss at least four weeks, but head coach Quin Snyder said the team was relieved that there’s no major structural damage, which would have sidelined Young for even longer, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk tweets. Snyder added that “other guys will have to be more involved as play-makers, and that requires different actions,” Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks tweets. Young excels in the pick-and-roll game, but Atlanta will alter its schemes until he returns.
Norman Powell returned to the Heat lineup after a three-game absence on Monday, but his fill-in Pelle Larsson remained in the starting five. Head coach Erik Spoelstra moved struggling big man Kel’el Ware to the bench as the Heat went small against the Clippers, a game which Miami won by a point. “I know probably people will point to Kel’el and say it’s a demotion. It’s not,” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I know there will be some teams that it makes more sense to play big. We have a team that it makes more sense to use our versatility. Sometimes it changes the starting lineup to do that.”
LaMelo Ball was sidelined for the Hornets’ game against New Orleans Tuesday due to a right ankle injury, according to NBA.com. Ball also missed the Hornets’ previous game, a 23-point win over Utah on Sunday. He is averaging 23.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per contest while shooting 43% overall and 33.3% on three-pointers. Charlotte lost to the previously winless Pelicans, 116-112.

Trae Young Has Sprained MCL, Will Be Reevaluated In Four Weeks

November 1st, 2025 at 6:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hawks guard Trae Young has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his right knee and will be reevaluated in four weeks, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). An MRI conducted Friday was reviewed by multiple doctors, who determined that he avoided major structural damage to his knee, Charania adds.

The Hawks issued a statement (via Twitter) confirming Charania’s report and saying Young suffered no other damage to the knee beyond the MCL sprain. The team added that he has already begun rehabilitation.

Young injured his knee in a collision with teammate Mouhamed Gueye in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game at Brooklyn. He didn’t return to that game and was held out of Friday’s contest at Indiana.

Young is off to a slow start this season, but he’s nearly irreplaceable for an Atlanta team that’s expecting to become a contender in the East. He’s averaging 17.8 points and 7.8 assists through five games while shooting career lows of 37.1% from the field and 19.2% from three-point range.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker moved into the starting lineup Friday night, taking Young’s place alongside Dyson Daniels in the Hawks’ backcourt. Keaton Wallace played nearly 17 minutes off the bench, his highest total of the season by far, and he figures to see an expanded role until Young returns.

While being without Young for approximately a month will be inconvenient for Atlanta, there’s a sense of relief in knowing that it’s not a long-term injury. If Young had been lost for the season, it likely would have affected his upcoming decision on a $49MM player option for 2026/27 as well as his extension talks with the team.

Trae Young Ruled Out For Sunday's Game At Cleveland

November 1st, 2025 at 5:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks haven’t provided an update on Trae Young, who suffered a sprained right knee on Wednesday. Young didn’t play Friday night and has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game at Cleveland, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks.

Injury Notes: Luka, Giannis, Young, Holmgren, Beal, Sixers

October 30th, 2025 at 10:03pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past three games with finger and leg injuries, Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has been listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup at Memphis, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group relays.

It has been five days since the Lakers stated that the Slovenian guard would be reevaluated in about a week, though Price notes the actual left finger sprain occurred a week ago vs. Minnesota. Head coach JJ Redick said ahead of Wednesday’s win that the swelling in Doncic’s finger had subsided somewhat.

Free agent addition Marcus Smart, who has missed the past two games with a quadriceps contusion, is also questionable for Friday’s contest, Price adds.

Here are some more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Superstar Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was a surprise scratch on Thursday against Golden State after being listed as probable in the lead-up to the game, notes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Despite being down their best player, the Bucks defeated the Warriors behind a career night from guard Ryan Rollins, who finished with 32 points (on 13-of-21 shooting), eight assists and five rebounds, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. As ESPN’s Anthony Slater notes (via Twitter), it was a revenge game of sorts for Rollins, who was drafted by and later traded by Golden State. The former second-round pick had a big game on Tuesday as well, recording 25 points (on 8-of-11 shooting), four assists and four steals in 26 minutes.
Star point guard Trae Young will be sidelined for Friday’s game in Indiana due to a right knee sprain, the Hawks announced (via Twitter). Young was reportedly scheduled to undergo an MRI today after he exited Wednesday’s game with the injury, which occurred late in the first quarter when a teammate was pushed and fell into his knee (Twitter video link).
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren was off to an excellent start this season before lower back soreness sidelined him for both Tuesday’s win vs. Sacramento and Thursday’s victory over Washington. Head coach Mark Daigneault said there are no long-term concerns with Holmgren’s back issue, per Jeff Patterson and Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link). “He’s where he should be,” Daigneault said before Thursday’s game. “We’re being conservative with him. If he was, obviously, perfect he would play tonight. But we’ll go through the process that we always go through.”
After missing the past two games with a sore back, Clippers guard Bradley Beal will be active for Friday’s contest vs. New Orleans, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Beal opened the season on a minutes restriction due to offseason knee surgery.
Although Jared McCain (thumb surgery) and Paul George (knee surgery) participated in the Sixers‘ practice on Thursday, both players will remain sidelined for Friday’s matchup against Boston, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). In case you missed it, the 76ers picked up McCain’s third-year option on Thursday.