The Atlanta Hawks will have more than $30 million in cap space this summer while owning three picks in this year's NBA Draft. The franchise could have an opportunity to land a 10-time All-Star, but some say missing out on him could turn a promising offseason into a nightmare.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has made it clear within the last season that he no longer wants to play for the Milwaukee Bucks, but the franchise hasn't found a suitable trade partner that can meet their trade request. 

While there are no official ties to the Hawks, Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes wrote a list of every team's biggest fear in the offseason. For Atlanta, their biggest fear would be not being able to land Antetokounmpo. 

"Who knows if Giannis Antetokounmpo will want anything to do with the Atlanta Hawks," asked Hughes.

"What we can say for sure is that Hawks should want everything to do with him when trade chatter heats up this offseason. Atlanta has plenty of good second options but lacks a first, can surround Antetokounmpo with premium spacing at every position (thanks to Onyeka Okongwu's growth on the perimeter), and has the combination of cap flexibility and future draft assets required to make a compelling offer," he added.

Whichever team lands Antetokounmpo will be a title contender, but if the Hawks fail to land him, it won't be their biggest fear. If Atlanta misses out on the Bucks forward this offseason, they will still be able to build the franchise. 

The Hawks hold the 8th, 23rd, and 57th picks in the 2026 NBA draft. Currently, the team's core consists of Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, CJ McCollum, and you can make the case for Onyeka Okongwu. 

According to Yahoo Sports, McCollum and the Hawks have until June 30 to reach an extension. While Hughes doesn't see the re-signing of the Hawks guard as exciting it can help this team continue to trend upward. 

"If Atlanta can't land Giannis, its backup plans will mostly stink. Bringing back CJ McCollum to run the offense and opting in on Kuminga would be disappointing lateral moves, and no other potentially available stars fit so cleanly," said Hughes. 

Atlanta can strengthen and continue developing its roster by selecting one of this year's highly coveted guard prospects in the draft, including Kingston Flemings from Houston, Keaton Wagler from Illinois, Darius Acuff Jr. from Arkansas, or Mikel Brown Jr. from Louisville. 

Landing Antetokounmpo would be a win for the Hawks but it would also require the team to relinquish draft capital and young talent forcing the team to sign players to build around him. 

Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder captured its first title against the Indiana Pacers. The three teams built their rosters through the draft, trades, and free agency signings. While Atlanta is a slightly bigger basketball market than the other three franchises, building a roster without trading everything away for a franchise player may be the best thing.

Hawks Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Hawks. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.