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The Atlanta Hawks are in the process of finalizing a sign-and-trade agreement with the Minnesota Timberwolves for swingman Nickeil Alexander-Walker, league sources told ClutchPoints.
A future 2027 second-round pick and cash will be going to Minnesota as part of this agreement.
Alexander-Walker, 26, was one of the best combo guards in free agency this offseason and a player the Hawks had been locked in on leading up to the free agency window opening on June 30. After trading for Kristaps Porzingis, Atlanta now adds a terrific 3-and-D option on the perimeter to strengthen their rotations next to Trae Young and Dyson Daniels.
Once the sign-and-trade is finalized, Alexander-Walker will be joining the Hawks on a 4-year, $62 million contract, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
By agreeing to a sign-and-trade, the Timberwolves will create a small trade exception for themselves that can be used for future trades to upgrade their roster.
Alexander-Walker did not miss a single game with Minnesota this past season, averaging 9.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point range. He emerged as a key two-way weapon for the Timberwolves in the playoffs for the second straight year.
This offseason, the Hawks made it a priority to improve their roster around All-Star point guard Trae Young, who the organization has given no thought to the idea of trading, sources said. In addition to adding Porzingis, the Hawks also added Asa Newell, a dynamic frontcourt talent, in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The main reason why Alexander-Walker emerged as Atlanta's top priority in free agency, besides the needs this team had in their backcourt next to Young and Daniels, was due to the Hawks' trade exception that was set to expire.
After trading Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans last summer, the Hawks created a $25.2 million traded player exception for themselves that was going to expire on July 6 if they had not used it. Alexander-Walker, who will be making $62 million over the next four seasons, will have his contract absorbed by Atlanta's exception.
The Hawks maintain access to their mid-level exception by utilizing this exception.
Although Minnesota wanted to keep Alexander-Walker, doing so wasn't going to be possible after agreeing to new contracts with both Naz Reid and Julius Randle. Before the free agency window opened on Monday, the Timberwolves had already agreed to a $125 million contract with Reid and a $100 million contract with Randle.
Since they are projected to be an apron team during the 2025-26 season, the Timberwolves had no way of keeping Alexander-Walker and maintaining financial flexibility unless they were to part ways with Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, or Donte DiVincenzo.
With the Eastern Conference wide open entering next season, the Hawks have made it clear that they intend to be a real threat.
Alexander-Walker joins a talented, young core in Atlanta that is headlined by Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Zaccharie Risacher, and Daniels, next to two proven stars in Young and Porzingis.
This past season, the Hawks finished the regular season with a 40-42 record, failing to make the playoffs for the fifth time in the last eight years.
