Hawks Rumors

Hawks Sign Jacob Toppin To Two-Way Contract

6:46pm: The signing is official, the Hawks confirmed in a press release.


4:21pm: The Hawks are filling their open two-way slot by signing second-year forward Jacob Toppin, The Stein Line contributor Jake Fischer tweets.

Toppin became a free agent when the Knicks waived him on Sunday. The 6’9″ Toppin made 16 appearances for New York this season but his minutes were limited — he averaged 0.4 points and 0.7 boards across 3.1 minutes per game.

Toppin posted big numbers for the Westchester Knicks in the NBA G League. In 11 regular season games, the younger brother of Pacers forward Obi Toppin averaged 25.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals per contest.

Toppin went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2023 and had a two-way deal with the Knicks for much of last season. New York re-signed him on a two-way deal in August.

He can be active for as many as 12 games for the remainder of the Hawks’ regular season.

Atlanta created an opening to sign another two-way player by elevating Dominick Barlow to the 15-man roster on a standard, two-year contract. The Hawks opened a spot on the 15-man roster for Barlow by terminating Kevon Harris’10-day deal.

Tuesday night is the deadline for teams to sign two-way players.

Isaiah Collier, Zaccharie Risacher Earn Rookie Of The Month Honors

Jazz guard Isaiah Collier and Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher have won February’s Rookie of the Month awards for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

It continues a season-long streak of first-time winners — the league has announced eight Rookies of the Month so far this season, four in each conference, and no player has won the award twice. Jaylen Wells, Yves Missi, and Stephon Castle have also been honored in the West, while Jared McCain, Alex Sarr, and Kel’el Ware have won in the East.

The No. 29 overall pick in last year’s draft, Collier was elevated to Utah’s starting lineup in January. In February, he averaged 11.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and an impressive 9.5 assists in 30.4 minutes per game across 13 outings.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, even though it was a short month made even shorter by the All-Star break, Collier’s 123 total assists in February were the most by a rookie in a single month since Pooh Richardson in March 1990.

“I think he’s playing the game with a chip on his shoulder,” Cody Williams said of his fellow Jazz rookie, per Jones. “I think he knows that there weren’t 28 players better than him in the draft, and he came into this season wanting to prove that.”

No player was drafted ahead of Risacher, 2024’s No. 1 overall selection. While the 19-year-old forward had an up-and-down first half, he has been very effective in recent weeks, averaging 12.8 PPG and 4.2 RPG with a .474/.440/.778 shooting line in 12 games (25.7 MPG) in February.

Those numbers don’t include his 27-point outburst in Memphis on Monday — he made 11-of-13 shots in that game and registered a career-high four steals as Atlanta eked out a two-point win.

February’s other Rookie of the Month nominees were Castle, Wells, and Zach Edey in the Western Conference, and Ware, Matas Buzelis, and Kyshawn George in the East (Twitter link).

Hawks Sign Dominick Barlow To Standard Contract

March 4: Barlow’s contract is now official, the Hawks announced in a press release. As we relayed in a separate story, Harris’ 10-day contract was terminated early to create room on the standard roster for Barlow.


March 2: The Hawks are set to sign two-way forward Dominick Barlow to a two-year standard contract, agent Todd Ramasar of Life Sports Agency has informed ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter). Barlow is currently on a two-way deal.

Atlanta currently has no room on its standard roster for Barlow, having just inked swingman Kevon Harris to a 10-day contract on Saturday. The team will either have to terminate Harris’ deal early or waive another player to make room for Barlow.

A 6’9″ combo forward, Barlow skipped college, having played instead for Overtime Elite’s Team Overtime in 2021/22.

Barlow, 21, spent his first two NBA seasons with the Spurs. He was on a two-way contract as a rookie and opened the 2023/24 campaign on a two-way deal before seeing that agreement converted to a standard contract at the end of that season.

Barlow has played sparingly for the Hawks at the NBA level so far this season, seeing action in 18 games (two starts). Across just 7.8 minutes per night, he’s averaging 2.9 points and 1.6 boards.

Barlow has, however, made a bigger splash with Atlanta’s G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, in 2024/25.

In 13 Tip-Off Tournament games for the Skyhawks, Barlow averaged 19.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 0.6 steals per contest. Across four regular season bouts with College Park, he had been averaging 20.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.8 BPG and 0.8 SPG.

Hawks Terminate Kevon Harris’ 10-Day Contract

The Hawks have terminated Kevon Harris‘ 10-day contract on just the fourth day of the deal, the team announced today in a press release.

Harris earned a promotion to Atlanta’s NBA roster after starring this season for the College Park Skyhawks in the G League. In 36 outings for the Hawks’ NBAGL affiliate, he has averaged 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 30.8 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .456/.436/.805.

Although he was technically active for the Hawks on Monday against Memphis, Harris didn’t see any action. His contract has been ended early so that the Hawks can elevate Dominick Barlow from his two-way contract to the standard roster. Promoting Barlow today will allow Atlanta to sign a replacement two-way player before Tuesday’s deadline.

Harris won’t have to pass through waivers and becomes an NBA free agent immediately now that his contract has been terminated. He remains eligible for a two-way deal if Atlanta still wants to keep him on the roster in some form.

Even though he was released early, Harris will still earn his full 10-day salary of $119,972.

Scotto: Trae Young, LaMelo Ball Among Players To Monitor In Offseason

Hawks guard Trae Young has just one guaranteed year left on his contract after this season, with a player option for 2026/27. As he nears potential free agency, executives around the NBA are wondering whether Atlanta will be looking to extend Young this offseason or whether he might emerge as a trade candidate, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

As Scotto notes, Young has spoken about wanting to win a championship in Atlanta with head coach Quin Snyder, and the Hawks have an intriguing collection of young talent around him, including forward Jalen Johnson, defensive ace Dyson Daniels, and 2024’s No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.

However, the Hawks have been a middle-of-the-pack team since making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, compiling between 36 and 43 wins and failing to get out of the first round of the playoffs in each of the three years since then — this season, they’re on pace for 37 wins and another play-in spot. They also don’t control their own first-round picks in any of the next three drafts.

Additionally, Scotto writes, Hawks ownership will be looking to avoid surpassing the luxury tax threshold in 2025/26, which could affect their ability to re-sign free agents such as Clint Capela, Caris LeVert, and/or Larry Nance Jr. — or to bring in additional talent.

Atlanta did have talks with the Pelicans prior to this year’s trade deadline about forward Brandon Ingram, with Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, De’Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic among the names that came up in those multi-team discussions, Scotto reports. Ingram was ultimately sent to Toronto, with the Hawks sending Hunter to Cleveland and Bogdanovic to the Clippers.

Shortly after the trade deadline passed last month, NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) referred to Young’s future in Atlanta as “murky,” while Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) wondered if the 26-year-old might request a trade this summer. Scotto doesn’t quite go that far, but says Young’s situation in Atlanta is one that executives around the league will be monitoring in the coming months.

Here’s more from Scotto on players to watch entering the 2025 offseason:

  • Rival executives are curious about whether point guard LaMelo Ball is still at the forefront of the Hornets‘ long-term plans and will be keeping an eye on him this offseason, Scotto reports. Veteran forward Miles Bridges is another name to watch in Charlotte, since his contract has a declining salary structure that was meant to make it more trade-friendly, Scotto adds. It also remains to be seen whether the Hornets will put center Mark Williams back on the trade block after a deadline deal with the Lakers fell through due to medical concerns.
  • RJ Barrett‘s name came up in the Ingram trade talks between the Raptors and Pelicans, but New Orleans didn’t view the forward as an ideal fit on their roster, according to Scotto, who suggests that Barrett could emerge as a trade candidate this summer with Toronto prioritizing Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and Gradey Dick. The former No. 3 overall pick is under contract for $57MM+ across two more years after this season.
  • NBA executives widely expect Wizards forward Khris Middleton to pick up his $33.35MM player option for 2025/26, Scotto reports. If he does, he and guard Marcus Smart – who will have an expiring $21.59MM deal, will be trade candidates to monitor in Washington. The same goes for Richaun Holmes, though his expiring $13.28MM contract only features a small partial guarantee ($250K), so he’s probably more likely to be waived than traded.

Hawks Sign Kevon Harris To 10-Day Contract

March 1: The Hawks have officially signed Harris to a 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release. It will run through March 10.


February 28: The Hawks intend to sign swingman Kevon Harris to a 10-day contract, agent Daniel Hazan tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Harris, who spent two seasons on a two-way contract with the Magic from 2022-24, was in camp with the Hawks last fall and joined Atlanta’s G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, after being waived by the NBA team in October.

In 34 total outings for the Skyhawks during the 2024 Tip-Off Tournament and 2024/25 regular season, Harris has averaged 19.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 steals in 31.0 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .463/.447/.804. The 6’5″ guard/forward has had a career-best season as a three-point shooter, with 2.6 makes per contest.

Harris only appeared in two NBA games for Orlando last season, but saw more action in 2022/23, averaging 4.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 0.5 APG in 34 appearances (13.4 MPG) off the bench for the Magic.

The Hawks have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to create an opening for Harris, who will earn $119,972 on his 10-day deal. Atlanta will carry an identical cap hit.

Assuming Harris officially signs his contract before Friday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, the deal would run through March 9, covering Atlanta’s next five games. If he doesn’t sign until Saturday, the 27-year-old could still be active for up to five games, since the Hawks play on March 10.

Southeast Notes: Hawks Bench, Poole, Hornets, Green, Smith

The Hawks are receiving strong contributions from their bench since adding Caris LeVert, Terance Mann and Georges Niang at the trade deadline, Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. That trio helped Atlanta defeat Miami on Monday and combined for 50 points on Friday. On Wednesday, the bench – LeVert, Mann, Niang, and Clint Capela – scored 45 of the Hawks’ 109 points.

I feel like we can keep getting better,” Capela said of Atlanta’s second unit. “Once again, defensively, we’re able to get stops and run get easy buckets for everybody, myself included Caris, Terance, Georges. I mean, I feel like, those are the guys that know how to play, they’ve been in this thing long enough to know how to play, and I’ve started feeling better playing with them.

In the eight games since the newcomers arrived, Niang is averaging 14.0 points per game while shooting 41.7% on 7.5 three-point attempts per game, LeVert is recording 15.3 PPG, and Mann is averaging 8.4 PPG while shooting 57.9% from beyond the arc.

Yeah, I think that’s the thing that’s kind of bringing us together, is our communication and our experience,” LeVert said. “We’ve all played a lot of basketball. So, I think just getting on the same page has been a lot easier.

Williams adds that the Hawks still need to find a solution for replacing some of Trae Young‘s play-making production when he sits and that Vit Krejci should be considered an option for alleviating that concern.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Jordan Poole is enjoying a strong second season in Washington after his production dipped in his first season there. As Varun Shankar of The Washington Post writes, Poole is averaging career highs in points (21.0), assists (4.8) and three-point percentage (37.0%). Poole didn’t start in 12 games last season but now he’s a full-time starter and is second on the Wizards in minutes per game.
  • The Hornets are going through a tough stretch — they won just two games in February and have lost five in a row. Still, coach Charles Lee is optimistic that the team is growing through the adversity, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes. “I thought just as a group, we competed at a much better level,” Lee said after their most recent loss, a 103-96 game against the Mavericks on Thursday. “To judge a man to see how he gets knocked down and to see how he responds, the group definitely responded today.
  • Josh Green returned to American Airlines Center for the first time as a member of the Hornets on Thursday. He had “weird feelings” in his return to face the Mavericks, with whom he spent the first four years of his career, according to Mavs.com’s Eddie Sefko. “It’s been different for me,” Green said. “Being a younger guy in Dallas and then to come here and being a veteran, it’s definitely been a shift. It’s fun. I’ve enjoyed it. Looking back at my time in Dallas, my first couple years were some of my really toughest times, not playing, not getting many minutes. Having guys like Dwight [Powell] and Maxi [Kleber] were great leaders for me. And it’s motivated me to be the best [mentor] I can be for guys.
  • Roster deadlines are approaching and – as we wrote last weekend – the Heat could conceivably make a two-way contract switch, since Dru Smith is out for the season. However, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald hears that the front office is leaning toward keeping Smith on his two-way deal to avoid another team claiming him and getting the chance to re-sign him in restricted free agency this summer. Asummiing he remains in Miami, Smith could be re-signed to a two-way deal or to a standard contract. He established himself as part of the team’s rotation before his unfortunate injury.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Hawks, Smart, Poole

As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, Nikola Jovic‘s hand fracture will necessitate changes to the Heat‘s rotation going forward, since Jovic had been playing significant minutes off the bench, including 31.9 MPG in his past 10 healthy games. Head coach Erik Spoelstra provided a first look on Monday vs. Atlanta at what the new rotation might look like, with Kyle Anderson and Jaime Jaquez taking on the minutes that would have gone to Jovic, Chiang notes in a second story.

Jaquez, who has been out of the rotation as of late, logged just seven minutes, while Anderson played 28, the most of any Miami reserve. The veteran forward contributed 14 points and five rebounds while getting to the foul line 10 times — he was a +2 in a game Miami lost by 12 points.

“He gave us some really good minutes,” Spoelstra said of Anderson, per Chiang. “I played him probably a handful more minutes than I anticipated. But he was doing some really good things out there.”

The other major change Spoelstra made to his rotation on Monday was to remove struggling guard Terry Rozier, who received his first DNP-CD of the season. Alec Burks played extended minutes in place of Rozier, but didn’t exactly give the Heat a boost, making just 1-of-12 shots from the field in 27 minutes.

“It’s just one of those things right now,” Spoelstra said in addressing the decision not to play Rozier. “We’re searching. It’s not an indictment on anybody necessarily. I feel for the guys that haven’t been able to play — Jaime the couple games before this and Terry. It’s not anyone’s fault. We’re all in this together. But we do need to find something. So, I’ll continue to use the depth of our roster, however we feel like we need to.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Dyson Daniels registered at least seven steals in a game for the third time this season and trade deadline acquisitions Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, and Terance Mann combined for 41 points off the bench in the Hawks‘ win over Miami on Monday. LeVert (13.7 PPG), Niang (15.2 PPG), and Mann (.571 FG%) have all played well since arriving in Atlanta, helping the team retain a firm hold on a play-in spot despite sending out De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic at the deadline. “It makes it way easier whenever you have guys like Caris and Georges who are aggressive, and whenever they get the ball,” guard Trae Young said after the win, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required). “They’re not hesitant at all. And even T-Mann hit a big three.”
  • The Wizards held an opponent under 100 points for the first time all season on Monday in a win over Brooklyn. As Noah Trister of The Associated Press writes, it’s likely not a coincidence that the team accomplished that feat in Marcus Smart‘s second game as a Wizard. “There is some people that kind of probably slept (on me). I haven’t played in a couple years consistently, and they probably forgot about me — which is cool. I’m used to it,” Smart said. “I still do what I do.”
  • Wizards guard Jordan Poole is averaging career highs in points (21.0), assists (4.8), and steals (1.4) per game, as well as three-point percentage (37.1%). Head coach Brian Keefe is a major reason for Poole’s resurgence, as Josh Robbins details for The Athletic. Sources tell Robbins that Poole advocated for Keefe last spring when the front office decided to name him the team’s permanent head coach after he finished the 2023/24 season with the interim label. “I know how good and genuine a person he is off the court, so when he coaches us hard and he’s pushing us on the court, I know that’s because he just wants the best of us,” Poole said of his coach.

Checking In On Open NBA Roster Spots

There has been no shortage of free agent signings across the NBA since the trade deadline, but several clubs still have at least one open roster spot as we near the home stretch of the season.

Using our roster counts tracker, let’s check in on which teams have openings and which are most likely to fill them in the short term.


Teams with multiple open spots on their standard 15-man rosters:

  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Sacramento Kings

The Pelicans and Kings are both currently carrying 13 players on standard contracts, which teams are permitted to do for up to 14 days at a time or 28 days in total during a season.

New Orleans dipped down to 13 players last Thursday by buying out Javonte Green, which means the club will have until next Thursday (March 6) to get back to 14 players. Two-way player Brandon Boston is considered a strong candidate for a promotion, though he’s still eight games away from his 50-game limit because he has been out since February 8 with a sprained ankle.

Sacramento, meanwhile, dropped to 13 players when Daishen Nix‘s 10-day contract expired last Monday night. The Kings need to re-add a 14th man by next Tuesday (March 4) in order to adhere to the NBA’s roster rules.

Teams with one open spot on their standard 15-man rosters:

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Golden State Warriors
    • Note: Two of the Warriors’ 14 players are on 10-day contracts.
  • Indiana Pacers
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New York Knicks

The Celtics, Bucks, Timberwolves, and Knicks are all deep into luxury tax territory and may not be in any rush to add a 15th man, since that player would cost exponentially more once tax penalties are taken into account. New York is currently restricted by a hard cap but could sign a player as soon as February 28.

The Hawks and Pacers have enough breathing room below the tax not to worry about surpassing that line, so they may look to add someone sooner rather than later, perhaps on a 10-day contract.

The Warriors, meanwhile, will dip back to 12 players once the 10-day contracts for Kevin Knox and Yuri Collins expire this Friday night. Golden State has some hard-cap issues to navigate for the rest of the season and might not want to get back to 14 players right away.

Teams with full standard 15-man rosters that include one 10-day contract:

  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Memphis Grizzlies
  • San Antonio Spurs
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Utah Jazz
  • Washington Wizards

These teams each have 14 players on standard contracts and one on a 10-day deal. With one exception, they’re all below the tax line and could continue cycling through 10-day signings or add a player on a rest-of-season contract when their current 10-day deals expire.

The one exception is Dallas. The Mavericks are right up against their hard cap, so once Moses Brown‘s 10-day contract ends, they won’t be able to bring in a new 15th man (or bring Brown back) until April 10.

Teams with an open two-way slot:

  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Golden State Warriors

The Warriors will reportedly fill their open two-way slot with Australian guard Taran Armstrong, so the Nets are really the only team with a two-way spot available, having promoted Tyrese Martin to a standard contract last Thursday.

It’s a pretty safe bet Brooklyn will fill that opening at some point before March 4, which is the deadline for two-way signings. You can also count on several other teams promoting, waiving, and signing two-way players before that deadline.

Trae Young Has Learned How To Handle All-Star Weekend

  • Hawks guard Trae Young made his fourth All-Star appearance this year, so he has learned how to handle the demands of the weekend without getting overwhelmed, per Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I mean, it wasn’t my first time going,” Young said. “So I kind of knew how to take advantage of the weekend, a little bit more rest, during breaks and appearances and things like that. So, I was able to get some catnaps in there, and then after that, after Sunday, after the game, I was able to get out of there and get some rest and spend some family time those last two days. And I’m ready to go.”