Hawks to pick 8th in June’s NBA draft

Lottery luck doesn’t play in Atlanta’s favor, as the Hawks drop one spot from where they were originally slotted.

In 2018, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum announces the Hawks earned the third pick in the NBA draft, which they used to select Luka Doncic. Doncic was then traded to the Mavericks for their fifth overall pick, Trae Young. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AJC)

By Lauren Williams

1 hour ago

The Hawks officially know where they will make their selection in the NBA draft next month.

Following the draft lottery Sunday, the Hawks will have the No. 8 pick in what is regarded as a talent-rich prospect pool. The Wizards will make the No. 1 pick.

The Hawks gained this pick after they traded back from 13th to 23rd in last year’s NBA draft and received an unprotected first-round pick from the Pelicans. That No. 13 pick was conveyed from the Kings when they dealt Kevin Huerter in July 2022.

With the Pelicans’ finish slotting them with the seventh-worst record in the regular season, the Hawks were positioned initially to pick there. They also had a pick swap, which gave them the better of the Pelicans’ or Bucks’ picks.

That pick ended up being the one from New Orleans. Milwaukee will make its selection at 10th overall.

The Hawks had a 29.3% chance of moving into the top four with the Pelicans’ pick and about a 40% chance with both picks considered. That New Orleans selection also gave them a 6.8% chance at No. 1, with just 3% attached to the Bucks’ pick.

The lottery sets the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the draft. Drawings determine the first four picks, with the remaining lottery teams selecting in positions five through 14 in inverse order of their 2025-26 regular-season records.

The Hawks have another first-round pick, No. 23, which came from the Cavaliers.

The top picks in the draft project to be BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson.

While the Hawks may not pick from those players, they still have a shot at some high-level talent. NBA draft analysts have labeled this year’s class as one of the deepest since the 1990s. But even most recently, some teams have struck on talent at No. 8 overall.

Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (originally selected by the Pelicans) went eighth overall in 2022. The Magic selected Franz Wagner at eight in 2021. While the Knicks selected Obi Toppin, who they eventually dealt to the Pacers, with the No. 8 overall pick in 2020.

The final results of the NBA draft lottery include: