Hawks Dealt Major News as NBA Free Agency Starts on Monday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As NBA free agency gets underway, the Atlanta Hawks have positioned themselves to make a statement, but the key news surfaced only after Monday’s tip‑off.

At the start of NBA free agency, the Atlanta Hawks got busy. Earlier on Monday, the Hawks agreed to a deal to land Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a four-year, $62 million contract. He had an amazing 2024-25 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves as a 3-and-D player next to All-Star guard Anthony Edwards.

Technically, the NBA free agency period was scheduled to open at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Monday. In actuality, it has been rolling along.

In the first two days of free agency, however, some winners and losers already have emerged. All it takes is one major move or whiff to change the dynamics. Below is an assessment of the latest snapshot. Initially, it appeared turbulence awaited the Milwaukee Bucks and Damian Lillard after they waived him unexpectedly.

Well, we're through the first night of the NBA's 2025 free agency period (on the East Coast, at least) and there's been some pretty decent activity, though it took a little longer than usual for the ball to get rolling.

After two mostly tepid days to tip off the league’s free agency period, Houston looks like a bona fide contender, while Milwaukee looks lost.