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Atlanta Hawks preparing to rebuild at the 2018 NBA Draft

By Brendan Galella

(Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Following limited activity at the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline, the Atlanta Hawks are focused on improving their roster during the 2018 NBA Draft this summer.

The Atlanta Hawks are hoping to capitalize on having the best odds for the top overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, while losing the most games is still somewhat beneficial.

Five months ago, the league passed sweeping changes to the way the odds for obtaining the first overall selection is obtained. Beginning in 2019, the three teams with the worst record in the league will all have an identical probability of selecting first overall, at 14 percent.

This summer, the team with the lowest winning percentage will have a 25 percent chance of landing the top overall pick, with the Hawks emerging as the early frontrunner to have the rights.

Following a 123-107 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the seventh in the past 10 games for Atlanta, the team is 17-39, the worst record in the NBA.

Not only is the team losing, but it made two moves at the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline clearly aimed at rebuilding for the future. Forward Luke Babbitt rejoined the  Miami Heat in a trade at the deadline in exchange for Okaro White, a forward with just 41 career appearances in two seasons.

Moments later, the Atlanta Hawks made another move within the division, sending out a protected second round selection in exchange for cash considerations and the rights to Sheldon Mac, a player that has yet to spend a minute on the floor this year after undergoing Achilles surgery just before the season began.

Both White and Mac were immediately waived, opening up roster spaces for the Hawks to use this year, while reducing the amount of salary the team carries into the summer.

Once the trade deadline passed, Atlanta wasn’t finished revamping its roster. The team placed veteran guard Marco Belinelli on waivers, enabling him to join a team in the playoff hunt.

The 31-year-old has plenty of playoff experience, winning a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 and has proven he is still a capable long range shooter during his brief tenure in Atlanta. Belinelli ranked third on the team with 92 made shots from 3-point range and was converting at a clip of 37.2 percent.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowiski, Belinelli could soon land with the Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder or Philadelphia 76ers, as all teams reportedly inquired about trading for Belinelli prior to the deadline.

The duo of Bellinelli and Babbitt accounted for 22.7 percent of the total 3-point field goals made by the Hawks this year. Long range shooting was one of the best attributes of Atlanta this year, as the team ranks seventh in the league with 620 makes from beyond the arc.

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    • By simply giving away two of its better 3-point shooters, the Atlanta Hawks are clearly focusing on adding a significant piece to its roster through the draft this summer, as the team not only needs to land a franchise cornerstone, but someone to draw fans to Philips Arena.

    A massive overhaul to the stadium, which included a courtside club and bar has done little to spark interest in the team. Atlanta not only ranks as the worst team in the league, but its average attendance of 13,965 fans a game ranks last in the NBA by a wide margin.

    Every other team in the league draws at least 15,500 fans a night, and if the figure remains the same, the Hawks could be the first team to average fewer than 14,000 fans a game since the 2014-15 Philadelphia 76ers.

    Help could be on the way, as the class of 2018 offers some very tantalizing prospects, including Luka Doncic, DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Michael Porter Jr. and Trae Young.

    If the regular season ended today, the Hawks not only would have a 25 percent chance of landing the first overall selection in June’s draft, but the team would also have the rights to the first round draft choices of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets.

    The pick from Houston only carries a top-3 protection, but with the Rockets in possession of the second-best record in the league, it means Atlanta will likely have a late first round choice.

    Minnesota’s draft rights are transferred to the Hawks only if the selection lands outside of the draft lottery, or outside of the top-14 choices. With the Timberwolves on pace to qualify for the postseason for the first time in since 2004, Atlanta will again likely choose somewhere in the late first round.

    Next: Biggest winners and losers of the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline

    Entering the season, the Atlanta Hawks knew the 2017-18 campaign would be a rebuilding year, but with the fewest wins in the league and a lean roster, all the hopes for a rapid improvement rely on the 2018 NBA Draft.

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