Atlanta, GA
NBA Analyst Reveals The Atlanta Hawks’ Biggest Win And Loss Of The 2024 Offseason
In the 2024 offseason, the Atlanta Hawks made their fair share of moves. They’ve added good rotation pieces to the roster in Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr, traded away former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, drafted Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick, re-signed Vit Krejci on a long-term deal and signed Summer League standout Keaton Wallace to a two-way contract.
They did not trade either of Clint Capela or DeAndre Hunter, who stick out as the most obvious trade candidates. Capela’s lack of secondary skills outside of his rebounding and his waning defensive skills do not match up with his $22.2 million dollar salary. On the other hand, Hunter is a solid two-way wing whose injury history and inconsistent play have not merited the cap hits of $21 million, $23 million and $24 million that he has for the next three seasons. Trading either of them for a solid return could have also impacted the quality of this offseason.
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report recently ranked the biggest win and loss of the 2024 offseason for every team in the NBA – including the Hawks. Unsurprisingly, he had the trade of Dejounte Murray as the biggest loss for the Hawks. Favale had this to say about Murray’s departure:
“Trading Murray stings on three fronts. It is first and foremost an admittance that the Hawks never should have acquired him. After that, Atlanta must grapple with having accepted a largely future-focused return despite not really controlling its own future. (See: Draft obligations to San Antonio). And finally, regardless of how you feel about his fit or the return on his departure, the Hawks are now tasked with replacing 22.5 points, 6.4 assists and 7.1 three-point attempts per game.”
I do think there were several candidates for the Hawks’ biggest win of the NBA offseason. Landing Dyson Daniels, getting the first overall pick and getting back into the 2025 NBA draft by way of the Dejounte Murray trade all stick out as candidates. However, Favale ultimately went with the headliner and suggested landing the No. 1 overall pick was Atlanta’s biggest win of the offseason. He had this to say about winning the draft lottery:
“Winning the draft lottery is a HugeFreakingDeal for a franchise that doesn’t control its next three first-rounders. Whether you think the Atlanta Hawks made the most of that pick is debatable. Zaccharie Risacher seems more plug-and-play than conventional star prospect. But 1) we can’t know for sure until he plays the games, and 2) that’s not the end of the world. Risacher’s hustle in transition and half-court floor navigation will translate, and his value skyrockets should he consistently bang in triples, even if only from the corners. Also, even with De’Andre Hunter and Dyson Daniels in the fold, Risacher is likely Atlanta’s best shot at having someone next season who qualifies as a two-way wing.”
Overall, I agree with his assessment that landing Risacher was Atlanta’s biggest win of the offseason. His ceiling may be in question, but he clearly offers skills that the Hawks need right now on their roster. His defense in transition and at the point-of-attack, promise as a shooter and connective passing will all gel next to a potential star duo of Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. Whatever the case, the No. 1 pick is often transformative for franchises – for better or worse – and landing it clearly has the highest potential to improve Atlanta’s fortunes.
Murray’s loss is also significant, but I think it is significant in the amount of good it can do for the roster. Last year, Murray had the second-worst defensive box plus-minus of his career and accrued the second lowest defensive win shares of his career as well. Advanced stats don’t tell the full story on defense, but Murray looked fairly uncomfortable guarding anyone other than point guards last year. His defensive impact was overstated and his shot attempts are now avalaible for Johnson and Risacher. Ultimately, ceding more offense to those two should allow for a smoother fit around Young, which is what ultimately matters for the 2024-25 Atlanta Hawks.
Atlanta, GA
Falcons release QB Kirk Cousins with post-June 1 designation
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons have released veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins with a post-June 1 designation.
It was an anticipated move after general manager Ian Cunningham said during an appearance on 92.9 The Game while at the NFL Combine that Atlanta would part ways with the quarterback at the start of the league year “out of respect” for Cousins.
Cousins signed a four-year deal with Atlanta in March 2024 after six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he was named to the Pro Bowl three times. Cousins began the 2023 season playing at a very high level, but an Achilles injury ended his year early. He was brought to Atlanta to provide stability to the quarterback position.
The 2024 season started off well for Cousins and the Falcons. He led the team to a signature comeback win in Philadelphia on “Monday Night Football” in Week 2. Then, on the night Matt Ryan was inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor, Cousins threw for 509 yards in the team’s Week 5 overtime win vs. the Buccaneers and broke Ryan’s previous franchise record for most passing yards in a single game. However, following a five-game stretch late in the year during which he threw nine interceptions and only one touchdown pass, Cousins was benched in favor of rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
In 2024, Cousins completed 66.9% of his passes thrown for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
His future in Atlanta was a topic of discussion during the 2025 offseason. Early on, Falcons leadership expressed that the organization was comfortable moving forward with Cousins as Penix’s backup, and that is how he began the season. Cousins ultimately started the final seven games for Atlanta, though, after Penix sustained a season-ending knee injury. He led the team on a four-game win streak to end the season.
Cousins completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions through eight games started and 10 games played in 2025.
Atlanta, GA
Metro Atlanta gas prices surge ahead of spring break, leaving drivers stunned
Drivers across metro Atlanta are seeing higher prices at the pump, and as spring break approaches, many families say the spike is hitting their budgets hard. While some people are reconsidering travel plans, others said they are still planning to get out of town.
At a RaceTrac gas station near Clairmont Road and Dresden Drive in Chamblee, drivers told us they noticed the increase almost immediately.
Just last week, many drivers said they were paying around $2.80 a gallon. Now, prices at some stations are climbing well over $3 a gallon.
At this RaceTrac, regular gas was listed at $3.59 a gallon while diesel was even higher at $5.19. Last week, those prices were $3.29 for regular-and $4.69 for diesel.
Some drivers said the increase is already creating financial stress.
“Not that many people can afford that price.”
Morgan Howard explained.
The metro Atlanta mom of two who commutes to work said she closely tracks fuel prices because of how much she drives.
“I pay attention to gas because I work over here but I live in Villa Rica or like Douglasville and the prices even went over there up. Ridiculous. It is sad.”
According to the AAA, the average price for gas in Atlanta is now about $3.28 a gallon, which is up roughly 44 cents from last week. Meanwhile, analysts with GasBuddy project prices could increase another 20 to 50 cents in the coming week.
Howard said her biggest concern isn’t just her own budget.
“I don’t think about myself. I think about others that are struggling. I think about others that are making minimum wage and can’t not afford.”
Higher gas prices can ripple through nearly every part of daily life from commuting to grocery costs.
Truck driver Logan Gabbard said the increase has already forced him to cancel travel plans he had for later this month.
“I was going to make plans at the end of March but since gas prices have went up as much as they have I can’t go through with those plans now just because usually it would take me 50 to 70 dollars to go where I usually go but now it is going to cost me so much that I am not going to be able to go.”
Another group feeling the impact is ride-share drivers who say rising fuel costs are forcing them to work longer hours.
“Because I was putting the mid range at $3.02 and now is almost at $4 and this is making us work more. Yes this is impacting us, now we need to work more and more hour’s in order to get better gains to be able to afford bills and payments, like rent, services and food is getting more expensive as well, for the people who work doing rideshares like Uber, Lyft and Taxi,” Ian Marin said.
“We have a taxi line near this gas station and a lot of drivers made the decision to retire from doing this profession because gains are not enough, people have fear to be out in the streets, but the price for food, bills, and rent keep going up making this situation really really complicated, “Marin explained.
Despite the higher prices, not everyone is putting the brakes on travel.
With the spring break season arriving, some college students said they are still planning to hit the road.
Analysts said part of the price swing is tied to tensions in the Middle East involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which can make global oil markets unstable and push oil prices higher.
International tensions are not the only factor.
AAA said gas prices often increase during busy travel seasons like spring break, when more people are hitting the road.
The drivers we talked to said that means they will be keeping a closer eye on their budgets in the weeks ahead and watching every mile and every dollar a little more closely.
Atlanta, GA
NBA cancels Hawks’ plans to celebrate Atlanta strip club
Magic City Night in Atlanta is off.
The NBA has canceled the Atlanta Hawks’ plans for a celebration of the city’s Magic City adult entertainment club, saying Monday that it was responding to concerns from many across the league.
The event was supposed to happen next Monday during a game against the Orlando Magic.
Atlanta announced the plan last month, calling it a tribute to an “iconic cultural institution” with food — including the club’s lemon pepper wings, a version of which is named for former Hawks guard Lou Williams — along with music and exclusive merchandise.
“While we are very disappointed in the NBA’s decision to cancel our Magic City Night promotion, we fully respect its decision,” the Hawks said Monday. “As a franchise, we remain committed to celebrating the best of Atlanta — with authenticity — in ways that continue to unite and bring us all together.”
Some elements of the plans for the night will remain, the Hawks said, including a halftime performance from rapper T.I. — and there are plans for lemon pepper wings to be sold.
But some plans for merchandise have been scrapped, as has a live recording of a podcast that was to feature Hawks primary owner Jami Gertz, T.I. and Magic City founder Michael Barney.
Plans for the celebration were met with mixed reactions — some for, some against. One NBA player, Luke Kornet of the San Antonio Spurs, spoke out about the idea of promoting a strip club and urged the parties involved to reconsider.
And the league evidently heard the same message from others.
READ MORE: Terry Rozier will not receive salary while on leave from NBA, AP reports
“When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “While we appreciate the team’s perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees.
“I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”
The Hawks have ties to the club. Gertz was a producer for a five-part docuseries that explored the club’s history, its place in Black and hip-hop culture and what it means to the city.
“This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work that we did to put together ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’” Gertz, who is also a filmmaker and actor, said when the promotion was announced. “The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”
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