And could De’Andre Hunter be heading to Cleveland?
The rumors and speculation surrounding the Hawks have begun to really heat up mere hours before the 2025 trade deadline.
Bogdan Bogdanovic has been away from the team per the injury report releases from the team. Clint Capela has also missed games lately, but ‘back spasms’ has been the official designation from the team. Their absences have only served as fodder to suggest that their time in Atlanta will soon come to an end.
New Orleans Pelican Brandon Ingram is a name that has already been on the radar for the Hawks in recent days, and with his expiring contract and the Hawks’ need for a scoring-minded forward in the wake of Jalen Johnson’s season ending injury, that rumored link just may just have legs to it.
Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Hawks have made phones calls on Ingram, adding:
The Atlanta Hawks are among the teams who’ve called the New Orleans Pelicans to gauge the price tag on forward Brandon Ingram, league sources told HoopsHype, and as reported by The Stein Line.
The Hawks have explored the trade market on veterans Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic, as previously reported by HoopsHype. Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter has also drawn trade interest from the Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources told HoopsHype.
In talks between the Hawks and Pelicans, league sources told HoopsHype the Pelicans would be reluctant to take back future salary, including Bogdanovic, who’s owed $16 million for the 2025-26 season and has a team option worth $16 million for the 2026-27 season.
Previously, the Pelicans did their due diligence on Capela this past offseason before drafting Yves Missi, as reported by HoopsHype. Capela is on an expiring $22.27 million deal.
De’Andre Hunter being linked with the Cleveland Cavaliers comes as a new nugget this cycle, with the forward enjoying his best season of his career — a season that has placed him at the forefront of Sixth Man of the Year award consideration.
Chris Fedor of cleveland.com sheds even more details about what the Hawks may be targeting in return for Hunter:
Multiple sources tell cleveland.com that the Cavaliers have expressed interest in Hawks sixth man De’Andre Hunter. Those talks with Atlanta, sources say, are centered on free-agent-to-be Caris LeVert — a fixture of Cleveland’s every-night rotation and a Kenny Atkinson favorite, going back to their days together with the Brooklyn Nets.
But Bogdanovic is maybe the Hawks candidate most likely to move — at least according to certain reports. His profile as a reliable wing with a history of being an elite shooter, even if the shooting percentages have lagged so far in 2024-25, makes him clearly coveted by multiple teams around the league.
Marc Stein’s substack blog on Tuesday brought further news about Bogdan Bogdanovic:
Atlanta has obviously not yet traded Bogdan Bogdanović, but the expectation persists that the Hawks will still be moving the 32-year-old sharpshooter before Thursday’s trade deadline.
One source briefed on the process told The Stein Line that the delay stems from the Hawks exploring more ambitious trade constructions — possible involving Ingram.
With the Hawks possibly involved in complicated trade constructions that could run up against the deadline, we may not have a definitive answer to whether the above players have seen their last time in Hawks uniform until right after 3:00 PM EST on Thursday.