On Monday, Janurary 5, the Hawks lost 118-100 to the Raptors. Atlanta is 17-21 through their first 38 games of the season. That is 10th in the Eastern Conference.
Recently, NBA insiders shared new information surrounding a key player on the Hawks’ roster. The team is working with Trae Young and his agents to find a new home for the 27-year-old. According to Mike Scotto, Young might not be the only Hawk to be moved by the deadline. Scotto said the team will “gauge the trade value” of Kristaps Porzingis. The 30-year-old is on an expiring contract with Atlanta.
Will the Atlanta Hawks trade Kristaps Porzingis?
The Atlanta Hawks are assessing Kristaps Porziņģis’ trade value around the league, per @MikeAScotto
“Given Porzingis’ inability to stay healthy this season, expect Atlanta to gauge the trade value of his expiring contract on the market ahead of the deadline.”
(Via @hoopshype /… pic.twitter.com/PBbtL3iGl9
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 6, 2026
During the 2025 offseason, the Celtics parted ways with key pieces of their 2024 championship roster. In a three-team deal between the Nets, Celtics, and Hawks, Kristaps Porzingis was traded to Atlanta. Unfortunately, the one-time all-star has been battling a lingering illness for most of the year. Porzingis has been available for just 16 of the team’s 38 games in the 2025-26 season. NBA insider Mike Scotto reported that Kristaps Porzingis could be traded by Atlanta before the deadline.
It’s worth noting that the 30-year-old is on an exprirng $30.7 million contract. Porzingis will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. That might make him more favorable in a trade. The veteran big man could be a one-year rental for a team looking to add depth. Mike Scotto said the Hawks will “gauge” Porzingis’ trade value as the deadline nears. He noted Porzingis’ inability to stay healthy has the Hawks rethinking their decision to acquire him.
👉🏽 Kristaps Porzingis proving he can be the impactful big the Hawks need on both ends of the floor in this sequence, but his name will be linked to trade rumors over the next weeks 👀 pic.twitter.com/ABYugDCPfB
— Toni Canyameras (@Canyameridis71) January 7, 2026
Kristaps Porzingis has appeared in 16 games and made 12 starts for the Hawks in 2025-26. He is averaging 17.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. It has been a difficult year, to say the least, for Porzingis. In his second-to-last season with Boston, Porzingis battled a lingering illness. This limited his effectiveness in the 2024 postseason. Boston was still able to win the championship.
Fast forward to the 2025-26 season, and Porzingis is once again battling a lingering illness. During the summer of 2025, Kristaps Porzingis played for Latvia in the FIBA EuroBasket. At the time, he had no issues with an illness and was playing at a high level. During the NBA regular season, Porzingis has missed several games due to illness. With his inability to stay on the court for Atlanta, the Hawks will listen to trade offers for Kristaps Porzingis ahead of the deadline on February 5.
