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3 Best Atlanta Hawks Drafted By Another Team

By Dallin Duffy

BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 27: Paul Millsap #4 of the Atlanta Hawks in action against Joe Johnson #7 of the Brooklyn Nets during game four in the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on April 27, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Nets defeated the Hawks 120-115. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 27: Paul Millsap #4 of the Atlanta Hawks in action against Joe Johnson #7 of the Brooklyn Nets during game four in the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on April 27, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Nets defeated the Hawks 120-115. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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Finding the three best Atlanta Hawks that were drafted by another team.

Last week we looked at three players the Atlanta Hawks drafted who had better careers on other teams. Luckily, there weren’t too many examples of that, as the Hawks have mostly used homegrown talent throughout their franchise’s history.

Here we’ll be finding some opposites of that, looking for the best Atlanta Hawks of all-time to be drafted by another team.

We’re not going to count draft-night trades, ruling out a handful of players including Dominique Wilkins, Trae Young, and Cliff Hagan. These are players who played at least a short bit on other teams before coming to star in Atlanta.

These are the 3 best Atlanta Hawks that were drafted by another team:

#3 – Paul Millsap

If Paul Millsap spent more time in Atlanta, he’d probably be in the top-ten of the team’s all-time players. The 2006 second-round pick of the Utah Jazz spent just four years with the Hawks, making four All-Star teams and nearly navigating the Hawks to the Finals.

Millsap spent seven years in Utah, putting up solid numbers in his final three. He left in the 2013 off-season to join Al Horford in the Atlanta frontcourt, creating one of the best duos in Hawks history.

Working as their defensive anchor, Millsap averaged 17.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 46 percent from the field in his four Hawks seasons.

The biggest change to his game after leaving the Jazz was his three-point shot. He shot a total of 113 threes during his time in Utah, making just 27 percent of those. As a first-year Hawk, he shot 212, making 35 percent.

He became the ideal stretch-four prototype, giving the Hawks a deadly five-out lineup whenever he and Horford shared the court.

In his final year in Atlanta, Millsap still was putting up solid numbers, but the talent around him was rapidly diminishing. With the Hawks ready to rebuild, they had to let the four-time All-Star walk in free agency to Denver.

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