Atlanta’s glaring lack of interior size fueled a premature postseason exit. With free agency looming, the Thunder's versatile big man could be the missing piece to solidify the paint.
Now that the Atlanta Hawks' season is officially over, it's time to start thinking about what their offseason plans could be.
First, the Hawks will wait and see what happens with the NBA draft & draft lottery, as they hold the New Orleans Pelicans' pick, which could be a top-5 selection. The NBA draft lottery is May 10, but after it's revealed where they will be selecting, Atlanta can start thinking about free agency and who could be a potential fit.
Specifically, the Hawks are currently positioned to pick seventh overall via the more favorable of the Pelicans' and Milwaukee Bucks' selections — a pick swap they secured during last summer's draft week. The combined odds give Atlanta a 39.9% chance of jumping into the top four, including a 9.7% shot at the No. 1 overall pick in what scouts have called one of the deepest draft classes in years, headlined by AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson. The Hawks also hold a second first-round pick at No. 23 via the Cleveland Cavaliers, acquired in last year's De'Andre Hunter trade, plus the No. 57 selection in the second round.
The biggest need the Hawks have is at the center position, and that has become very apparent in the Hawks' recent playoff series with the New York Knicks. In the last three games of the series, which ultimately eliminated Atlanta from the NBA playoffs, size was a huge factor.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 18.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in the series and recorded two triple-doubles, while head coach Mike Brown's decision to lean more heavily on a Towns–Mitchell Robinson frontcourt pairing in the closing games tilted the rebounding and rim-pressure battle decisively in New York's favor. The series ended in a 140-89 Game 6 rout at State Farm Arena on April 30, in which the Knicks set the largest first-quarter lead of the shot-clock era (40-15) and the biggest halftime lead in NBA playoff history at 47 points. Onyeka Okongwu carried the bulk of the center workload with Mouhamed Gueye behind him and Jock Landale dealing with an ankle injury, and the lack of a sturdy second option behind Okongwu was repeatedly exposed.
Could Isaiah Hartenstein be a potential option for the Hawks to target in free agency? The Oklahoma City Thunder center has a $28 million team option attached to him, but given the fact that OKC is obligated to pay the contracts of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, it might be difficult to find the cash to afford that salary.
The option is worth $28.5 million, and Oklahoma City is projected to be roughly $23 million over the second apron next season. Luguentz Dort also has a club option worth just over $18 million, and league reporting throughout the year has speculated that one of those two figures may need to come off the books to give Sam Presti's front office the flexibility to keep its core intact. If Oklahoma City declines Hartenstein's option, he immediately becomes one of the most coveted unrestricted free agents on the market.
Hartenstein and the OKC Thunder are, of course, still playing in the NBA playoffs, and likely will be for the next few weeks, but Hartenstein's play during this final stretch of the season could determine his fate. His impact on the basketball court goes beyond just scoring and tallying stats, which could greatly benefit the Hawks.
Across 47 games in the regular season, Hartenstein averaged 9.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 62.2% from the field.
The 7-foot, 255-pound center is also one of the league's most physical screen-setters and a gifted passer for his size — skills that translate directly into the kind of offensive system Quin Snyder has built around Jalen Johnson following Trae Young's departure to Washington. Hartenstein's floater game has been a steady mid-range weapon, and his offensive rebounding gives a team second-chance opportunities that the Hawks were repeatedly denied against New York. Pairing him alongside Onyeka Okongwu in a true two-big rotation, or installing him as the starter with Okongwu sliding into a more situational role, would give Atlanta the kind of interior toughness that this season's playoff exit demanded.
There are many factors that affect Hartenstein's contract status and availability, but if the Hawks want to cement themselves as contenders in the Eastern Conference in the 2026-27 season, the issue of center depth needs to be addressed.