The Hawks are looking to ‘nail the draft.’ What will they do at No. 23?
The Hawks have a wealth of possibilities when it comes to upgrading their roster through next month’s NBA draft.
They’ll kick off that effort with the No. 8 overall pick. But they also have another shot at No. 23, following a trade last season that sent De’Andre Hunter to Cleveland.
In the last year, the Hawks have shown little fear of trading draft picks to acquire valuable assets. Last season, the Hawks sent pick No. 13 to the Pelicans in exchange for this year’s pick.
The Hawks could opt to do so this year. They could package their two selections to move up the draft board.
The top four teams likely won’t move down in the draft. But perhaps the Clippers (No. 5), the Nets (No. 6) or the Kings (No. 7) could be amenable to a deal.
This year’s draft boasts one of the deepest classes in decades, according to several draft analysts.
The Hawks will look to capitalize on that. The Hawks do have an idea of their core group. But they also know they have to make some roster upgrades to compete.
“This isn’t the final iteration of this team,” Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said in his end-of-season availability earlier this month.
“We got to draft two guys, and we got to nail the draft. We got a second-round pick on top of that. So, that’s the growth of this group, and along with, like, development internally.”
If the Hawks keep their first-round picks, this year’s draft class offers depth at guard, something the short postseason run showed they needed.
Some mock drafts have the Hawks selecting a guard at No. 8, though ESPN has projected they could select Michigan center Aday Mara.
Saleh has said the Hawks will select the best available player. Here are some possible options at No. 23.
- Ebuka Okorie (G): Freshman, Stanford, 6-1, 186 pounds (23.2 points, 3.6 assists, 35.4% 3FG)
- Isaiah Evans (G): Sophomore, Duke, 6-5, 186 pounds (15 points, 3.2 rebounds, 36.1% 3FG)
- Bennett Stirtz (G): Senior, Iowa, 6-2, 186 pounds (19.8 points, 4.4 assists, 35.8% 3FG)
- Christian Anderson (G): Sophomore, Texas Tech, 6-0, 180 pounds (18.5 points, 7.4 assists, 41.5% 3FG)
- Chris Cenac (C): Freshman, Houston, 6-10, 240 pounds (9.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 48% FG)
- Hannes Steinbach (C): Freshman, Washington, 6-10, 248 pounds (18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 57.7% FG)
- Henri Veesaar (C): Junior, North Carolina. 6-11, 227 pounds (17.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 42.6% 3FG)
The Hawks also have a late second-round pick. ESPN projects they will take Northwestern senior wing Nick Martinelli at No. 57 overall. Yahoo Sports predicts the Hawks will select Arkansas senior big Trevon Brazile.
The NBA draft is set for June 23 (8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN) and June 24 (8 p.m. on ESPN).
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