The Atlanta Hawks did a lot of maneuvering during last year’s NBA Draft and it led to them landing the New Orleans Pelicans’ unprotected first-round pick this year in a loaded draft class.
With San Antonio owning Atlanta’s first, thanks to the Dejounte Murray trade, it was a huge win for the Hawks to land a first-round pick in this season. With the team also trading away Trae Young to the Wizards, it signaled that they were ready for a mini-rebuild around Jalen Johnson.
Atlanta has been teetering on the play-in line all season out East, while New Orleans has struggled mightily out West. With just about a month left in the season, the Hawks have been hoping for one outcome with that Pelicans pick, but they may not get it.
Atlanta is hoping for New Orleans’ pick to be first overall, but those odds have sunk lately
Early on in the season, it looked like the Hawks were on a collision course to have great odds for the first overall pick, as the Pelicans limped through the first part of the season and were among the worst teams in basketball. Since then though, things have changed.
The Pelicans have been playing a lot better basketball recently. They are 9-6 in their last 15 games, including a 7-5 mark since the All-Star break.
Part of New Orleans’ recent success has been the play of Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy, two players the organization sees as the key to their future.
In addition, the Pelicans have also had much better health luck. Williamson appeared in a career-high 35 straight games, a sign that his health could be turning around. He has also played in 51 total games this year, the most he has played since the 2023-24 season.
Thanks to their recent surge, New Orleans’ unlikely to clinch the worst record in the NBA anymore. That spot will likely belong to the Pacers, Wizards or Kings, who are a combined 4-26 over their last 30 games. According to tankathon.com, the Pelicans only have a nine percent chance at getting the first overall pick.
This puts a wrench in Atlanta’s plans, as they could have had even better odds of landing a franchise game-changer like Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, or Cameron Boozer. Fortunately for them, the draft is rich with talent, so the Hawks will likely land a difference-maker inside the top five or seven no matter what. So their plan isn’t completely foiled.