NBA free agency officially tips off at 6:00 PM ET on Monday, and already, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has emerged as one of the hottest names on the market.
League sources, including insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, report that the Atlanta Hawks are considered the front-runners to acquire Alexander-Walker in a sign-and-trade deal with Minnesota.
The Hawks have cleared significant cap space $28.9 million under the luxury tax threshold—after acquiring Kristaps Porzingis in a pre-draft trade. With Eastern Conference rivals Indiana (Tyrese Haliburton) and Boston (Jayson Tatum) losing their stars to Achilles injuries, Atlanta is making a bold play to reshape the conference landscape.
Alexander-Walker posted solid numbers last season:
9.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.7 APG, 43.8% FG, 38.1% from three on 1.7 makes per game, with a win share of .099 per 48 minutes.
Though the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic have expressed interest, most insiders agree that Atlanta is in the “pole position” for his services. The Hawks are expected to leverage their $25.3 million trade exception from last year’s Dejounte Murray trade to make the deal viable.
For Minnesota, who recently committed to deals with Naz Reid and Julius Randle, retaining Alexander-Walker was no longer feasible. Still, a sign-and-trade ensures the Timberwolves receive a trade exception in return, rather than losing him outright.
