The 2024 draft lottery came with plenty of surprises, but none more shocking than the Atlanta Hawks being awarded the first overall pick. The Hawks find themselves in a very unique situation in which they have several paths moving forward.
Path 1 – Atlanta Hawks completely rebuild
The Atlanta Hawks have several players who can contribute to a win-now team like Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and Clint Capela. Despite this the team has failed to make it out of the first round since their 2021 ECF run. This of course includes missing the playoffs this season after losing the play-in game to the Bulls. The Hawks could try to trade these veterans and just hit the reset button.
If this is their path they should try and draft the player with the highest ceiling, which most agree is big man Alexandre Sarr. Sarr could be the next edition of the Victor Wembanyama/Chet Holmgren prototype. Even if he doesn’t have the ceilings that Wembanyama and Holmgren have he could still end up being a good building piece. If the future of the NBA is truly centers who can run the offense like point guards, this could put the Hawks one step ahead of everyone else.
Path 2 – Atlanta Hawks try to win now
The Atlanta Hawks have not had many players as talented as Young in their history. There is no guarantee any of the prospects they draft will be able to reach that level. That is why they might want to take advantage of having a talented point guard and try to build a team that can win. If a star like Joel Embiid or Anthony Davis requests a trade the Hawks might be able to use their first overall pick in a package for them.
If no big names request a trade, that makes this all-in path a little more difficult. Would the Hawks be willing to go all in and trade a first overall pick for a guy like Lauri Markkanen? The first overall pick doesn’t have its usual trade value due to the lack of a generational prospect in this draft class. However, the Hawks would still be wise to not be willing to give away the pick that could change their franchise.
Path 3 – Atlanta Hawks go with more of the same
Maybe the Atlanta Hawks don’t need to rock the boat, just use their pick to find someone who adds to this roster. Zaccharie Risacher is generally considered the most NBA ready prospect in this class. If Risacher can develop into a star the Hawks could gain themselves a new star on their current core without the price tag of an established star. This could allow the Hawks to spend money on a bunch, creating a team with two stars and strength in numbers off the bench.
Generally speaking, this strategy tends not to work. The player movement of the modern NBA makes waiting for a rebuild with a star on the roster impossible. This is because players are quick to request trades if they don’t like where the roster is heading. However, Young is under contract for three seasons and still has plenty of good seasons left. The Hawks could be in a position to show patience and let a star duo develop from scratch.
Photo via New York Post
Path 4 – Atlanta Hawks trade back
As stated earlier, this draft class is considered weak. A combination of lack of NBA ready players and players with limited ceilings has caused people to quickly disregard this draft class. If the Hawks feel that nobody in this class is going to put them over the edge, they could look to trade back. Teams like the Pistons or Raptors may look to get themselves higher on the draft board.
The Hawks could trade their first overall pick for a later pick in this draft and a pick in a future draft that is hopefully deeper. In recent years the NBA has seen teams like the Celtics and Thunder stockpile picks and use these picks as both young development pieces and trade assets to put the roster over the top.
The Atlanta Hawks have a chance to leave the NBA middle ground they have been stuck in the past few seasons. They have several paths to move forward and all of them should be considered by the Hawks front office.
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