Sunday’s 2024 NBA Draft lottery took an improbable turn when the Atlanta Hawks landed the No. 1 pick.
The Hawks had just a 3 percent chance of winning the lottery, but they jumped up to the first overall spot after their season ended in the play-in tournament. Nine teams had a worse record.
The fortuitous turn instantly changes Atlanta’s offseason. Will the Hawks table any speculation of breaking up Trae Young and Dejounte Murray in hopes of the top pick expediting their path back to contention?
Or will the Hawks consider trading down? While not a common NBA decision, this class doesn’t boast a no-doubt choice for the No. 1 spot.
Atlanta also has a noted history of trading down. They passed on an opportunity to draft Luka Doncic with the No. 3 pick in 2018 to drop two slots and take Young.
As a result, fans joked that the Hawks would make the same decision. Meanwhile, other media members think they will or should seriously consider it.
“No clear-cut choice for any of these picks this year,” The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor wrote. “Going to be a fascinating pre-draft process. I’d expect the Hawks and Rockets to especially be active in the trade market. Wild result.”
“The most valuable thing that I think the Atlanta Hawks can do with the #1 pick is trade it,” CBS Sports broadcaster John Fanta declared. “There’s just no overwhelming favorite and if a team is in love with a prospect, the value Atlanta could get to still get a guy that could pan out better than the top pick is very real.”
“Congrats on the Hawks for winning the NBA asset they will trade,” a fan said jokingly.
“That Hawks pick already on the trade block,” another fan facetiously claimed.
A valuable commodity unexpectedly fell into Atlanta’s lap. The Hawks have an interesting decision to make before the draft starts on Wednesday, June 26.