Atlanta

Hawks

Consistently contending for an NBA championship gets expensive, especially in the current era. Oklahoma City holds team options on Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort and Kenrich Williams, and the franchise also has to account for the extensions for Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren that will go into effect. Moving Wiggins frees up some money, while the Hawks add a versatile forward whose opportunities decreased during the postseason. Wiggins had his moments of fantasy relevance with the Thunder, usually when the team was shorthanded. His fantasy outlook in Atlanta depends partially on what happens with Jonathan Kuminga, who has a team option for next season. To consummate the deal, Oklahoma City received Atlanta’s 2030 second-round pick and the least favorable of Atlanta or the Lakers’ 2032 second-round pick.

McCollum was eligible for a contract extension until June 30, and Sunday’s report means that he won’t hit free agency at the end of the month. Also, the new deal includes a trade kicker. After being acquired from the Wizards as part of the Trae Young trade, the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 18.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.3 three-pointers with the Hawks. And his play was a big reason why the Hawks were able to hand the Knicks two of their three losses on the way to New York’s first NBA title since 1973. As a starter, McCollum can offer solid value to fantasy managers, regardless of league format.

In 267 games with the Hawks in his three and half years as the team’s head coach, Snyder has coached his team to a 132-135 record. Snyder isn’t quite a .500 coach with the team, but Atlanta’s late-season resurgence and playoff appearance after trading Trae Young showed team brass enough to bring Snyder back.

Johnson was Atlanta’s best scorer on Thursday. In 32 minutes, he was the only player on the Hawks to reach the 20-point mark, which he did by using a combination of two-point scoring, three-point efficiency, and free-throw production. He also led the team in rebounds and assists before the final horn sounded. Johnson took a major leap in production this season and averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists over 72 regular-season games, while becoming an NBA All-Star for the first time. Another leap in Year 6 would bring even more fantasy value.

Game 6 was tough for basically every Hawks player who saw meaningful minutes. McCollum, who played 24 minutes, shot inefficiently and also failed to make an impact as a passer. After a fast start to the series, he totaled only 34 points and four assists over the final three games, which were all loses. He’ll enter the offseason as a free agent. Should the veteran return to the Hawks next season, he’ll likely have some fantasy value.

Alexander-Walker struggled on Thursday, as did several Hawks players. He finished with more turnovers than made field goals, and didn’t make a big impact as a facilitator or defender in his 29 minutes. The unspectacular season-ending performance was unfortunate for Alexander-Walker, who made huge strides in his first season in Atlanta. He earned the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and was a reliable contributor in fantasy leagues. His role shouldn’t change much going next season, which means he’ll likely have strong fantasy value.

Okongwu continues to produce stat lines that play well for fantasy managers. Unfortunately, he has struggled to compete down low against Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, which is why the Knicks outrebounded the Hawks 48-27. Okongwu is effective in many ways, but his struggles in the paint against bigger players have been evident in this series. He’ll need to be better in Game 6 for the Hawks to have a chance.

Daniels has made a big impact on this series for the Hawks, but he hasn’t done much scoring. However, that changed in this game, though it didn’t do much to help the Hawks’ chances. He didn’t get any steals in this game, but he was still making his presence felt on the defensive end, even if it didn’t do much to slow down Jalen Brunson. He’ll need to make more of an impact for the Hawks to stay alive in Game 6 on Thursday.

Johnson struggled mightily in Game 4 on Saturday, and while he was more effective in this one, it wasn’t enough to get the Hawks on the right side of the scoreboard. He was better, but he hasn’t played to the level that Atlanta needs their All-Star to play at. He’ll need to make more of an impact on both ends of the floor in Game 6 on Thursday for the Hawks to avoid elimination.

Coming off of his most productive game of the series, Johnson struggled in Game 4. In addition to a 1-of-5 night from beyond the arc, the Hawks’ All-Star forward did not record any defensive stats. Give New York’s Josh Hart and OG Anunoby credit for their defensive work, but the Hawks need more from Johnson if they’re to win this series. Game 5 is on Tuesday in New York with the series tied at two games apiece.