Hawks Rumors

Southeast Notes: Banchero, Johnson, Nurkic, Niang

March 27th, 2025 at 9:45am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic have moved within a half-game of seventh-place Atlanta for the top seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. That’s due in large part to Paolo Banchero‘s resurgence. Their star forward has reached the 30-point mark in four consecutive games, including three victories.

In 16 games following the All-Star break, Banchero is second in the league in scoring (29.6 PPG) behind only MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34.1).

“I’m playing some good basketball right now,” he told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “[I] just want to keep it up.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

AJ Johnson, who was part of the Kyle Kuzma/Khris Middleton deal between the Wizards and Bucks, has shown off his athleticism since joining Washington with some high-flying dunks, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post writes. Johnson, a late first-round pick last June, had a season-high 17 points against Toronto on Monday, then showed his passing skills with nine points and six assists against Philadelphia on Wednesday. “Getting better and better every game,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said.
Jusuf Nurkic is feeling at home in Charlotte with the Hornets after a tumultuous season-and-a-half with the Suns, he told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “It’s obviously a different situation,” Nurkic said. “Sometimes, it’s good for players to change situations, change teams. But just being in a respectful environment, usually the response is good. So we are still learning each other — the coaches, team. The organization is still learning me and I’m learning the organization, getting a feel for each other in our evaluations and stuff. But so far, so good.” Nurkic has one year left on his four-year, $70MM contract.
Georges Niang has given the Hawks a boost since being traded by Cleveland. He’s averaging 13.3 points in 19 games while making 42.3 percent of his 3-point attempts. He told Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda that the Hawks made the transition easier. “This organization has done everything to help me get comfortable with the city and the team. They’ve made it feel like home — and you don’t get that everywhere. I’m truly thankful to be with a high-class, first-class organization like the Atlanta Hawks,” he said. Niang, playing for his fifth team, is signed through next season.

Hawks’ Larry Nance Out For Rest Of Regular Season

March 26th, 2025 at 5:20pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Hawks forward Larry Nance Jr. is expected to miss the rest of Atlanta’s 2024/25 regular season as he continues to rehabilitate from a lingering right medial femoral condyle fracture, the team has announced (via Twitter). Nance initially suffered the injury on February 10 against Orlando.

The Hawks indicated they’ll provide an update on Nance’s status after the regular season concludes next month.

At 35-37 on the year, the Hawks are currently the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed. They are 10 games clear of the No. 11-seeded Raptors, so they’ve essentially clinched a play-in tournament berth.

Assuming Atlanta survives the play-in as either a No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the East and qualifies for the actual playoffs, the wording of today’s announcement seems to indicate there’s a chance the club could add Nance back to the fold in the postseason.

The 6’8″ big man has battled injuries and has seen a limited role even when healthy for the Hawks this season. In the 24 contests he’s played, the Wyoming alum logged averages of 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game during his first season with Atlanta. He was acquired as part of the Hawks’ offseason deal that sent former guard Dejounte Murray to New Orleans.

Nance is now the fourth Hawks player who will miss at least the end of the regular season. Most critically, starting forward Jalen Johnson tore the labrum in his left shoulder in January. Reserve center Clint Capela injured a ligament in the fourth metacarpal of his left hand last week, and is expected to be back in three-to-four weeks — i.e. at the end of the regular season. Guard Kobe Bufkin underwent surgery for a right shoulder instability in December.

Community Shootaround: Most Improved Player

March 23rd, 2025 at 8:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Most Improved Player award has – at least according to the oddsmakers – become a two-man race.

On one side is Cade Cunningham, the face of the vastly-improved Pistons. On the other is Dyson Daniels, who has blossomed into a stat-sheet stuffing backcourt partner for Hawks star Trae Young.

Let’s examine their cases.

Cunningham came into Sunday’s action averaging 25.7 points, 9.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 35.2 minutes per game. Last season, when the Pistons won just 14 games, Cunningham averaged 22.7 points, 7.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per contest

The only negative would be an increase in turnovers per game this season (4.5) compared to 3.4 last season. That’s due in part to the season-ending leg injury to Jaden Ivey on New Year’s Day, which has put the ball in Cunningham’s hands more often. His usage rate is 34.4%, up from 31.7%.

Cunningham, a first-time All-Star, has benefited from an improved supporting cast. He’s got a better group of veterans around him this season, allowing him to be a more effective play-maker. He’s embraced his leadership role and delivered in the clutch, making game-winners such as his buzzer-beating three-pointer against Miami on Wednesday.

There was little doubt Cunningham could be this kind of player. After all, he was the top pick of the 2021 draft and got a max extension last season. Should those facts work against his candidacy? However, there’s no denying that Cunningham’s steady brilliance has silenced any doubters regarding the franchise’s faith in him after its worst season.

Daniels, a third-year wing, was mainly a second-unit player in his first two seasons with the Pelicans. Included in the blockbuster deal that sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans, Daniels has seized the opportunity to become a full-time starter.

In 65 starts, Daniels is averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.0 steals in 33.9 minutes per game. Last season, Daniels posted 5.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.4 SPG in 22.3 MPG.

He’s the runaway leader in the league in steals per game, making him a dark-horse candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, an award typically dominated by centers and forwards.

Working against Daniels’ candidacy is that he doesn’t have the pressure of being the team’s star like Cunningham. The Hawks also have a losing record, though they still lead the weak Southeast Division. But the No. 8 pick of the 2022 draft has clearly made a name for himself after two nondescript seasons with the Pelicans.

Clippers veteran forward Norman Powell was a prime candidate for the award until an injury derailed his campaign and made him ineligible.

Christian Braun, Evan Mobley and Tyler Herro are some of the other players have been mentioned as candidates.

That brings us to today’s topic: Who’s your selection for the Most Improved Player award – the Pistons’ Cunningham or Hawks’ Daniels? Or is there another player more worthy of that honor?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Three More Steals For Dyson Daniels

March 23rd, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Hawks guard Dyson Daniels had three more steals on Saturday, increasing his league-leading total to 197 on the season. With at least one steal in 41 straight games, he tied Mookie Blaylock for the third-longest streak in franchise history, according to Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m proud of that kid. I think he’s DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year) for the season,” Onyeka Okongwu said. “I’m excited to watch him going forward.”

Southeast Notes: Risacher, Hornets, Lee, Isaac, Adebayo

March 22nd, 2025 at 11:42am CST by Earnest Marshall

Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher is making his case for Rookie of the Year honors with his recent play, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Head coach Quin Snyder recognizes that the 19-year-old’s growth hasn’t and will not always be linear, but he has been an advocate for his rising player all year.

“I think it’s a strong case,” Snyder said. “You have to look beyond some of the quote, unquote numbers. Although, if you look at the progression, even in a statistical case, over the course of the season, it’s pretty impressive. That’s a credit to who he is, his talent and as a human being and his character, and he just embraces everything, whether that’s when he’s making shots or he’s not making shots. Defensively, he’s really a complete player, and he’s got a high ceiling.”

While Spurs guard Stephon Castle has emerged as the favorite for Rookie of the Year honors and Wizards big Alex Sarr might be ahead of Risacher too, the French wing’s improvement is notable and impressive. During his last 22 appearances, the No. 1 overall pick is averaging 14.4 points per game while shooting 45.5% from three (4.9 attempts). In his first 38 games, he averaged 10.5 PPG and shot 28.3% from three (4.2 attempts).

“You can’t be serious if you don’t have him in the Rookie of the Year conversation,” teammate Georges Niang said. “I think his progression throughout the year, especially on a team that is winning and trying to make the playoffs, I think it’s been impressive what he’s been able to do. And for sure, it wouldn’t be a surprise to me if he won Rookie of the Year because he truly deserves it.”

Risacher said it would mean a lot to him to win the award, but he’s firmly focused on improving and keeping Atlanta focused on the postseason.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets are on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs, which would extend the NBA’s longest active streak without a postseason appearance to nine years. However, as Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, the Hornets are happy to play spoiler even if it doesn’t culminate in a playoff showing. “It just gives us confidence,” Miles Bridges said. “It gives us confidence knowing we can play how we want to when we are semi-healthy. Just imagine when we are fully healthy.“
Hornets head coach Charles Lee has taken a long-term outlook when discussing Charlotte’s ability to be competitive. He isn’t losing his cool during post-game news conferences, Boone writes in another story. “Human nature is to try to find the negatives, try to find the wrongs,” Lee said. “And that’s the easy thing to do. It’s the easy way to find some comfort. And the place that I like to live and the place that we like to live is finding the positives and what are the growth areas we have seen.”
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is seeing limited minutes after renegotiating his contract last offseason to increase his 2024/25 salary and tack on four extra years. Isaac didn’t play in the second half of Wednesday’s game against the Rockets, the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede writes. “As we’re looking at these games as playoff-type ‘win the next game,’ you’ve got to look at matchups,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. Isaac is averaging 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals in 15.5 minutes per game this season, though his 62 appearances are his most since 2018/19.
The Heat‘s current 10-game losing streak is one of the longest in franchise history. Regardless, Bam Adebayo appears to not be losing hope for the rest of the season with the team still in position to make the play-in tournament. “You can’t let go of the rope now,” Adebayo said, per HoopsHype (Twitter link). “To me, being a quitter is in your character — and I’m not a quitter.“

Hawks’ Clint Capela Out At Least 3-4 Weeks With Hand Injury

March 21st, 2025 at 2:45pm CST by Rory Maher

Clint Capela has been diagnosed with a ligament injury in the fourth metacarpal of his left hand, according to the Hawks, who announced (via Twitter) that the veteran center will be out at least three-to-four weeks as he rehabilitates.

It’s worth noting that Atlanta says Capela will be reevaluated in three-to-four weeks, not that he’s expected to return at that time. The 30-year-old underwent an MRI on Monday which revealed the injury, per the team.

Although the Hawks didn’t outright say it, Capela will almost certainly miss the remainder of the 2024/25 regular season, which concludes on April 13. Depending on how they fare in the postseason — they’re currently the No. 7 seed in the East — it’s possible he might be able to return at some point later next month.

It’s unclear when Capela sustained the injury, but Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears it occurred earlier this month and he initially tried to play through it (Twitter link). Capela has missed the past four games, with his most recent injury designation being personal reasons.

Capela was a longtime starter for the Hawks, but the Swiss big man was moved to the second unit in late January, having been supplanted by Onyeka Okongwu. Capela has averaged 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.0 block in 55 games this season (21.4 minutes per contest).

Obviously, it’s unfortunate news for the Hawks, who have already lost Jalen Johnson and Kobe Bufkin to season-ending shoulder injuries. They’ve also been playing without backup big man Larry Nance Jr., who has been out since mid-February due to a knee injury. He’s set to be reevaluated next week.

It’s a disappointing setback on a personal level as well — Capela will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

With Capela out, the Hawks have been utilizing small-ball lineups off the bench, with forwards like Georges Niang and Dominick Barlow receiving more playing time. That figures to continue for the time being.

Southeast Notes: Risacher, Young, Carter, Hornets

March 19th, 2025 at 5:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rookie of the Year race is still wide open, but Hawks guard Trae Young believes teammate Zaccharie Risacher should be the favorite, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The top pick in last year’s draft has been given more responsibility than some of his competitors, becoming an instant starter for a team that appears headed to the play-in tournament.

“He should be, in my eyes, and I’m not saying it because I’m biased, but I think (he) should be Rookie of the Year,” Young said. “What he’s been doing this year, he’s been thrown into the fire as a starter. You put him up against some of the guys in the running. I think his numbers speak for himself, too. So he’s just not even focused on that. And that’s the best part about it. And we’re kind of, we’re kind of making it easy for him to just focus on the game, focus himself and having fun and having games like tonight, and just letting it loose and letting it fly.”

Risacher, who won’t turn 20 until next month, has posted solid numbers in his first season, averaging 11.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game with .443/.350/.719 shooting stats. His teammates have tried to ease the transition as he adjusts to the NBA after playing in France, and Risacher said it has helped.

“I feel like every game I feel more comfortable. I’m able to learn like every possession,” Risacher said. “Honestly, it’s a new environment. I got great teammates, too. They helped me a lot on the court and off the court, and I’m just in great condition to learn, with, like, the coaches, my teammates, the organization. We’re playing a lot of games, so it’s like it’s great for young player like me to be able to compete every night with those guys.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

A technical foul called against Young late in the third quarter of the Hawks‘ win over Charlotte on Tuesday has been rescinded, the league announced (via Twitter).
Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. is having a down year statistically, but he proved at Cleveland on Sunday that he can still affect the outcome of a game, observes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Carter had 16 points and 14 rebounds as Orlando snapped the Cavaliers’ 16-game winning streak. “Wendell was super aggressive in the game being really physical,” Franz Wagner said. “When he’s like that, he’s one of the best bigs in the league. He was a game-changer on both sides of the floor for us in that game. He’s one of those guys when his spirit is like that, it carries over to a lot of the other guys as well. When I talked about aggressiveness, I don’t just mean making shots or anything like that. It’s just the demeanor that they played with, finding different ways, especially on defense, to change the game.”
LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges both sat out the Hornets‘ game Tuesday night, and that could happen more often as the season winds down, suggests Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Hawks GM Fields: Scouting Department ‘Crushed It’ On Daniels

March 19th, 2025 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Hawks and Pelicans were discussing a Dejounte Murray deal last offseason, Dyson Daniels was the one player that Landry Fields insisted must be included in the trade package, Atlanta’s general manager tells Ken Sugiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“(Daniels) was one guy that, when we were engaged with the Pelicans, he was a must for us to be in that deal,” Fields said. “We saw the archetype, we knew who he was as a person — doing our homework — and just the type of player that he was then and what he could be in a change of environment. (The Hawks’ scouting department) did a really good job in that.”

As Sugiura writes, the Hawks were high on Daniels back in 2022 when he entered the NBA draft as a 19-year-old due to his positional size, his promising tools, and the fact that he was one of the younger players in the draft class.

They had the No. 16 overall pick that year and didn’t get a chance to select the Australian prospect, who went eighth overall to the Pelicans, but Fields and the Hawks’ scouts continued to keep an eye on him over the next couple years.

“There was a lot of really good indicators there that would suggest he was going to have a real chance to be a good player in the NBA,” Fields explained, noting that while Daniels’ defensive tools were obvious, Atlanta was bullish on his offensive potential as well. “We see the indicators and areas that he could grow. We’re looking at what his floor is, and we really liked that. And that takes a lot of work in combing through a number of different games and situations and not just watching highlights.”

For Fields and his scouting department, the Murray trade with New Orleans has gone “about as good as they could have hoped,” one NBA scout told Sugiura. Besides acquiring Daniels, the Hawks received Larry Nance Jr. and a pair of future first-round picks in that swap.

Daniels has been the prize so far though, emerging one of the NBA’s most impactful defenders while taking a significant step forward offensively too. The 22-year-old has averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a league-leading 3.0 steals per game through 64 outings (all starts), with a shooting line of .485/.345/.587.

“It’s always really exciting to watch a player kind of blossom in front of you, especially when he’s on your team,” Fields said. “… I think our scouting group crushed it on this one.”

Daniels looks like a lock for a spot on an All-Defensive team and figures to receive plenty of Most Improved Player votes too.

Defensive Player of the Year voters have historically favored big men, but the third-year guard has also made himself a legitimate DPOY contender by wreaking havoc on that end of the court. Daniels’ 194 steals and 382 deflections give him a massive lead over the second-place player in each category (117 and 248, respectively).

“Dyson’s just been killing. He’s been all over it — Defensive Player of the Year for me,” Clippers guard Ben Simmons recently told Grant Afseth of RG.org in a conversation about Australia’s growing talent pool. “It’s hard not to give it to him. I think he’s just everywhere. He has great hands, and he’s really guarding everybody.”

While Warriors forward Draymond Green publicly made his own case for Defensive Player of the Year recognition on Tuesday night, Daniels declined to advocate for himself in quite the same way when he was asked after the Hawks’ win over Charlotte about his chances for the award.

“Just having my name in that conversation is pretty special,” Daniels said, per Jerry Donatien of Clutch Points (Twitter video link). “I set myself a goal of being First Team All-Defense. Now the goal is Defensive Player of the Year. I don’t want to sit here and pump my tires too much in what I do — I’m just letting my game do the talking.”

Southeast Notes: Bogdanovic, Wizards, Poole, Joseph, Houstan

March 15th, 2025 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Before being traded from the Hawks to the Clippers at last month’s deadline, Bogdan Bogdanovic had changed teams once before in his NBA career, having initially signed with Atlanta in 2020 after three years in Sacramento. However, last month’s trade represented the first in-season move for the veteran guard, who said it has been a more challenging adjustment period and that he was “nervous” returning to Atlanta to face his old team on Friday, per Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“This, in-season (move) is really tough,” Bogdanovic said. “And as much as I told you I was ready, I wasn’t ready. As you can see it at the beginning, the way I played and just the way I felt. So how the time goes, everything, it’s getting better.”

Bogdanovic, who said he didn’t know where the visitors’ locker room was when he entered the arena ahead of Friday’s game, scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in a win over the Hawks on Friday. He also got to match up on a few possessions with Trae Young and admitted that going up against his friend and former teammate took some getting used to.

“I won’t lie to you, there’s one situation, I gave him a high-five on the floor,” Bogdanovic said. “But you see the face, and it’s like ‘Let’s go.’ But it’s just a normal reaction, as I said. Yeah, it was weird. It was weird to play against them, but it’s business at the end of the day. And I wish them all the best, honestly. They’re great group of guys. I know how hard they are working, and they had a good run. They’re gonna have a good run.”

We have more from around the Southeast:

The Pistons‘ impressive turnaround this season should serve as an inspiration for the Wizards as they make their way through a slow rebuilding process, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington may not have its future franchise cornerstone on the roster yet like Detroit did with Cade Cunningham, Robbins acknowledges, but the Pistons’ success this season shows the importance of having the right head coach in place and how a few smart veteran additions can help unlock the potential of a club’s young players.
Speaking to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Wizards guard Jordan Poole said he believes the team’s “ceiling is high” and that there’s already “a lot of talented guys” on the roster. “The ball is rolling. Snowball effect right now,” he said. “It’ll take a little bit, but we got the right group, the right setup. We’re in a really good situation right now. We’re playing some fun basketball. It’s something going to be more competitive, better as we go.” Poole also discussed a number of other topics, including what he’s learning from Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart and why he has felt more comfortable this season than he did during his first year in D.C.
Veteran Magic point guard Cory Joseph has made his first three starts of the season in the past two weeks and played a season-high 30 minutes in Thursday’s win over New Orleans, earning praise from head coach Jamahl Mosley, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel relays (via Twitter). “His poise and his ability to get guys in the right spot,” Mosley said when asked what has stood out about Joseph’s performance. “And then defensively picking up full-court. The energy that he brings as a veteran, you can’t say enough about his positive spirit, his positive energy.” Orlando holds a minimum-salary team option on Joseph for 2025/26.
Like Joseph, Magic forward Caleb Houstan has a minimum-salary team option on his contract for next season and was lauded this week by Mosley for stepping up after being out of the rotation for much of the year. Houstan scored 18 points in 26 minutes in Friday’s loss to Minnesota. “I say this with no hesitation. He might be one of the hardest workers I’ve seen,” Mosley, according to Beede. “This kid is in early, stays late, comes back, works on his shot. … He is determined. He is focused. He’s a pro. He stays ready no matter if his number is called for two minutes or 22 minutes.”

Eastern Notes: Bridges, Thibs, Robinson, Grimes, Mann, Bradley

March 14th, 2025 at 5:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau met with forward Mikal Bridges prior to Wednesday’s victory over Portland to clear the air over their recent public comments about the starters’ minutes, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who says sources described the meeting as “productive.” Mike Breen of MSG Network first stated on Wednesday’s broadcast that the two men had talked before the game.

Bridges said on Wednesday that he felt like the Knicks’ reserves should play a little more to help reduce the starters’ workloads. The 28-year-old suggested that he had spoken to Thibodeau about the subject, but the veteran coach later denied having that conversation and defended his minutes distribution.

As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes, the minor off-court drama hasn’t impacted Bridges’ play on the court. In three games since Jalen Brunson went down with an ankle sprain, Bridges has averaged 23.3 points per game on 62.8% shooting, including 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting in Wednesday’s overtime win.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is still on a minutes restriction after returning from ankle surgery two weeks ago, but the big man dropped some weight during his recovery process and is pleased with how his leaner physique has aided his mobility on the court, Bondy writes in a subscriber-only New York Post story. “I got to be honest, though. For me to come back from an ankle injury, I kind of move really well,” Robinson said. “Coming back from an ankle injury after 10 months? I move pretty damn good.”
Sixers guard Quentin Grimes spoke to Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda about his experience playing alongside Luka Doncic in Dallas, what it was like being traded last month, and why he’s “really happy” in Philadelphia even though the team has won just two of 15 games since the trade deadline. Grimes will miss Friday’s game vs. Indiana due to an illness, according to the latest injury report.
Hawks guard Terance Mann will face his former team on Friday for the first time since being traded last month, but he tells Law Murray of The Athletic that he hasn’t had a chance to reflect on the five-and-a-half years he spent with the Clippers. “I haven’t yet, no, I haven’t yet,” Mann said. “I’ll probably do that after the season. You know, just sit back, hang out with the guys, reflect. Hang out with Zu (Ivica Zubac), Amir (Coffey), James (Harden), Kawhi (Leonard), all those dudes. Talk and just reflect.” Mann added that his agent informed him before last month’s deal about the possibility that he’d be sent to Atlanta and he felt “great” about the opportunity. “They’re expecting a lot more from me,” Mann said. “They’re expecting me to shoot the ball off the dribble, catch and shoot, make plays when I get to the paint. Get to the paint. They just want me to be who I am. And I really appreciate Coach Q (Quin Snyder) for that.”
After Tony Bradley signed a second 10-day contract with the Pacers on Thursday, head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, that the big man is an “ideal” third center for the team right now. “In practices and in simulated stuff in the gym, he’s been terrific,” Carlisle said. “Smart, great hands, defensively has a really good feel for what we’re doing here.”

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