Hawks Face Decision After Quin Snyder Extension
The Atlanta Hawks got bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Knicks this postseason, but the context is more impressive than most first-round exits. The Hawks won two out of six games in the series, and the Knicks have won 13 straight contests since losing Game 3 in Atlanta 109-108 on April 23.
That represents a step forward for a franchise that hadn't made the playoffs since 2023, and it rewarded head coach Quin Snyder with a contract extension on Monday, per ESPN's Shams Charania. This comes two weeks after the Hawks promoted executive Onsi Saleh from general manager to president of basketball operations and extended his contract, per ESPN.
The Atlanta Hawks and head coach Quin Snyder have agreed to a multiyear contract extension, sources tell ESPN. This marks consecutive extensions for Hawks leadership of Snyder and President Onsi Saleh to solidify organizational continuity for team ownership. pic.twitter.com/bZxMCRtedN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 8, 2026
Hawks Must Decide Which Players to Keep
Atlanta established continuity with its leadership, as Saleh has worked in its front office since May 2024 and Snyder has been its head coach since February 2023. Now, it must decide what to do with the roster.
The biggest question is veteran guard C.J. McCollum, who is an unrestricted free agent after playing with the Hawks for three-and-a-half months. They traded star guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for McCollum's expiring contract and forward Corey Kispert in January, which gave them salary cap relief.
McCollum was productive after the trade, averaging 18.7 points on 45.6% shooting (35.7% 3-point) with 3.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and one steal over 28.8 minutes (41 games) in the regular season before scoring 20-plus points in each of the first three playoff games. However, the 34-year-old then tallied just 34 points over the final three contests (15-38 FG, 1-10 3-point), which Atlanta lost by a combined score of 380-284.
The Hawks could bring McCollum back for the veteran leadership or let him walk and replace him through the draft. They own the No. 8 overall pick this year thanks to last year's draft-night trade with the New Orleans Pelicans that gave the latter team Maryland big man Derik Queen. Guard prospects like Houston's Kingston Flemings, Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr., Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr., Illinois' Keaton Wagner and Arizona's Brayden Burries will likely be taken in that range.
Meanwhile, Atlanta has until June 29 to accept forward Jonathan Kuminga's $24.3 million club option, per Spotrac. It acquired the 23-year-old along with guard Buddy Hield from the Golden State Warriors for center Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline, and he averaged 12.3 points on 47.6% shooting (34.6% 3-point) with 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 22.1 minutes (16 games) for the rest of the regular season. He also averaged 13.7 points on 48.3% shooting (20.8% 3-point) with 3.3 rebounds and one assist over 25.8 minutes (six games) in the playoffs.
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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 11:08 AM.