While the main focus for the Atlanta Hawks is on finishing the season strong and making the playoffs, the offseason is getting closer and this one could be big for the Hawks in terms of their franchise direction. Trae Young is extension eligible, as is emerging star Dyson Daniels. Not only that, but the Hawks could have as many as two first round picks and will have some key free agents such as Clint Capela, Larry Nance Jr, Caris LeVert, and Garrison Matthews. Will the Hawks choose to bring any of those guys back?

One of the big questions the Hawks are going to face is what they do going forward at the center position. Onyeka Okongwu has taken over as the starter for most of the seasona and has played well. Okongwu is averaging 12.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG while shooting 57% from the field and 30% from three. The defense has improved as well and it is very possible that Okongwu is the Hawks starting center moving forward. But, would the Hawks consider trying to upgrade at the position? They will have to add at least two more centers next season with Capela and Nance being free agents and that could come through the draft or a trade.

In a recent article, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus listed Nets center Nic Claxton as a potential top trade target for Atlanta:

“Assuming the Hawks continue their relationship with Trae Young, the team has some flexibility to improve its roster while staying under the tax—though much of that could go to retaining free agents. Keeping Capela, LeVert, etc., would limit the team’s ability to use the large trade exception while staying within the team’s projected budget.

With Young, a healthy Jalen Johnson and three wings (Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Terance Mann), Atlanta can commit to Okongwu as the primary center or play him off the bench while acquiring a full-time center. Perhaps the answer is keeping LeVert as another scoring wing while going after a reasonably priced center.”

This would be a potentially interesting pairing for the Hawks if they made a move for Claxton. He has been one of the NBA’s best defenders in the past, though he has seen a dip in his production this season, though that could be attributed to the caliber of team he is on. He would be a great partner with Trae Young in the pick and roll while also being a rim-protector for the Hawks. He would have three years left on his deal and he and Okongwu would form one of the best center tandems in the NBA. If they traded for Claxton, it would likely mean they are looking elsewhere in the draft to fill other needs such as backup point guard, shooting, or frontcourt depth.

The offseason is still a ways away and there is no indication that the Nets are even going to move Claxton or if the Hawks would even be interested. It is a big offseason in Atlanta though as they continue to shape their team for the future.

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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Severe weather is rolling into our viewing area and teams are out trying to get the unhoused to safety.

When you get somewhere and don’t want to go back, you try to pull people up, so they don’t stay where you’ve been.

“I know a lot of the guys that we interact with, they have trust issues because of things they have run into on the streets, but I try to be that person that they can trust to say, ‘Hey, I was in a similar situation man.’ said Jabarri Tucker.

Jabarri is part of Frontline Response’s crisis team. He’s out now looking for people who need a safe place to be as severe weather moves in.

“Anytime there is a crisis going on we go out and check on two particular groups of people: the unhoused population and the people who are suspected of being trafficked,” said Terry Tucker, chief executive officer of Frontline Response International.

Many people who are living on the streets might not always have ways to get weather information, so Tucker and his team could be their first heads up that severe weather is on the way.

For the past five days, the organization says they have been encouraging people to come in. They’re planning on being out until 1 a.m. Sunday as well.

These are the times we see who the helpers in our community are. These are also the times we see what that help does for communities.

“This place is a home for me, but has given me hope for the future,” said Kareem, a Frontline Response client.

Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.

As Georgia safety Malaki Starks backpedaled, flipped his hips and finished the drill with a confident snag, Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich watched in not-so-silent admiration.

“Goodness gracious. That’s different,” Ulbrich said, according to Dawgs Central’s Graham Coffey. “That might be the safest pick in the draft.”

Starks, who shined Feb. 28 at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, starred again during Georgia’s pro day March 12. He’s perhaps the draft’s best safety and is expected to be a first-round pick April 24.

And the Jefferson, Ga., native may not have to move too far to play professionally.

Starks met with the Falcons at the NFL combine and said he’s had “really good” conversations with them throughout the process.

“(They) really like my versatility,” Starks said after his pro day. “But also just the leadership skills I bring and the discipline I have coming from a place like the University of Georgia — just being able to carry that and carry myself in a certain way, they really like that.”

Starks did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs in 2024. He played 400 snaps at free safety, 271 snaps at nickel corner and 215 snaps roaming the box, according to Pro Football Focus.

The 6’1″, 195-pound Starks was a first-team All-American in 2023 and second-team All-American in 2024. He finished his career in Athens with 42 starts, six interceptions and 17 pass breakups.

Starks was a captain as a junior in 2024, joining safety Dan Jackson and linebacker Jalon Walker. He feels it shows he can lead teams, checking an important character box for teams like the Falcons who stress locker room culture.

Fluid movements and an impressive resume suggest Starks is worthy of being in play for Atlanta at No. 15 overall. He believes there’s more to his profile that validates it.

“I’m a competitor, on and off the field. I like to compete,” Starks said. “I grew up a certain way; my family raised me a certain way. I’m not a headache — you don’t have to worry about me off the field. I’m a guy who comes from a winning program, a guy who knows discipline.

“Somebody who can come in and be a part of the culture and maybe change it and help. Just somebody you should take.”

The Falcons have an open starting spot at safety, as Justin Simmons is an unrestricted free agent likely to play elsewhere in 2025 and Richie Grant signed with the San Francisco 49ers.

Apart from two-time All-Pro Jessie Bates III, Atlanta has only two safeties under contract: DeMarcco Hellams, who missed all of 2024 due to an ankle injury suffered in the preseason opener, and Benny Sapp III, who spent the final month of last season on the Falcons’ practice squad.

Atlanta also needs a nickel corner, as it didn’t tender starter Dee Alford, pushing the once-restricted free agent into the unrestricted free agent pool. Regardless, the Falcons’ decision meant they didn’t want to pay Alford the near-$3 million right-of-first-refusal price tag — hardly a vote of confidence for a potential starter.

The Falcons have made several signings and re-signings in free agency. They’ve added pieces on the defensive line — Leonard Floyd and Morgan Cox — and at linebacker in Divine Deablo.

But Atlanta hasn’t added a safety, nor a viable player at nickel. Starks gives the Falcons both.

And after fulfilling one childhood dream, the 21-year-old welcomes the opportunity to keep on dreaming at the next level.

“It’d be awesome,” Starks said about playing for the Falcons. “I grew up watching Georgia, I got to play in my backyard. Grew up watching Atlanta — so just kind of that same journey, same story, would be awesome. But I’d be lucky to go anywhere.”