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On Monday evening, the Atlanta Hawks made a free agency splash by acquiring guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The move sends Alexander-Walker to Atlanta on a new four-year, $62 million contract that figures to take him through the prime years of his career.
Alexander-Walker, as ESPN loved to remind viewers during their presentation of the 2025 Western Conference Finals, is the cousin of Oklahoma City Thunder MVP point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and later Monday evening, the reigning NBA Finals MVP took to his Instagram story with a congratulatory message.
“Earned it twizzzz,” wrote Gilgeous-Alexander alongside an ESPN report of the signing.
Alexander-Walker later reposted the message on his own story.
A big night for the Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks had already been one of the big winners of this NBA offseason by acquiring Kristaps Porzingis for a relatively low price at the Boston Celtics' firesale and then swindling the New Orleans Pelicans at a potentially valuable 2026 first round pick while still drafting one of the players they were targeting, Asa Newell, with their own selection.
Then came the Alexander-Walker signing, which gives the Hawks another rangy defender and capable jumpshooter to put along Trae Young, along with someone who can handle some occassional playmaking duties when Young is on the bench.
Later in the evening, the Hawks signed free agent sharpshooter Luke Kennard to a one year, $11 million deal. While it may be difficult to find time for Kennard and Young to share the floor together because of their defensive shortcomings, Kennard still figures to provide a valuable role off the Hawks' bench as the league's career leader in three-point percentage among all active players.
It's been a swift 180 of an offseason for a Hawks team that has been mired in NBA purgatory for the last several years but now suddenly looks poised to make a potential run at one of the East's top seeds considering the current injury-riddled state of the conference.
While the heavy lifting has mostly been done, the Hawks still have some additional moves to make in order to fill out their 15-man roster ahead of the season.
