As I laid out in a piece a few days ago, I noted how the Toronto Raptors are going to have their hands full when it comes to their most pressing offseason needs. Toronto's wishes to add veteran depth, extra guard play, reliable shooting, and one of the most urgent needs of all, upgrading the center position are likely to be shared philosophies among a handful of NBA rivals.
Just looking to the Raptors' East foes, teams like Detroit and Miami (especially in the aftermath of their Giannis blockbuster), or even Charlotte, Boston, Orlando, and Philly stand out as potential squads with the same offseason goals in mind. Now, there's one team I didn't mention in that bunch for a reason, as they are the subject of this piece today and that is the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks, just like those other East contemporaries, are very much going to be in the mix for roster upgrades and improvements this summer. Like Toronto, they have a versatile young star in Jalen Johnson leading the way, surrounded by various key pieces in between.
Atlanta had a good thing going for them in the 2025-26 campaign, even getting a 2-1 series lead on the eventual champion Knicks, until they were taken out in six games. The Hawks have already addressed the CJ McCollum free agency question, as he's reported to return on a one-year, $21 million deal, and even took a small-scale swing to acquire Thunder forward Aaron Wiggins.
But arguably their most important positional need to address is figuring out their center situation. Right now, that spot is held by Onyeka Okongwu (a very talented player in his own right), while the Hawks also snagged Jock Landale in a savvy trade deadline pickup (and will be looking to extend him this free agency).
That being said, it doesn't mean these two gentlemen have their spots exactly secured.
Hawks in the hunt for big man upgrades is bad news for the Raptors
Per a recent edition of The Stein Line (subscription-required link here), NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer note: "The Hawks are in active trade pursuit of a big man [...] It was not immediately known how broad Atlanta's list of potential targets is … but they certainly are looking. For past perspective: New Orleans' Yves Missi, Orlando's Goga Bitadze and Dallas' Daniel Gafford are all centers that the Hawks have pursued previously and who are generally regarded as available."
The report also went on to add that Atlanta explored options to acquire Thunder big man Isaiah Hartenstein, in the 2026 NBA Draft aftermath and OKC's push to get out of the second apron.
Now, this certainly hits close to home if you're the Toronto Raptors. Toronto is just as much believed to be a top suitor in the center market this summer, having their own big man dilemma at present with a faltering Jakob Poeltl and adding real size aside from playing Collin Murray-Boyles as a small-ball five. In fact, those names mentioned above were actually shared targets on the Raptors' radar this past trade deadline, and in the case of Missi, a name that has circulated lately too.
The Hawks have a few disposable contracts on their hands that rivals Toronto's bargaining power, as they can opt to move Buddy Hield, Corey Kispert, Zaccharie Risacher, or Jonathan Kuminga — depending on the level of center upgrade at play.
Toronto will have to keep a close eye on Atlanta as this whirlwind of summer NBA movement continues.
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