As the only team to beat the Knicks multiple times in the postseason, you could argue that the Atlanta Hawks are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. With young talent primed to improve and a top-10 pick in this year’s draft, Hawks fans began to dream that this offseason could be the one that makes Atlanta a title contender.
Monday’s Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, however, made it clear that this Hawks team needs more than the eighth overall pick to reach true championship contention. If the Hawks want to be contenders soon, they’ll need to trade for a star-caliber player.
The parable of the New York Knicks
Atlanta’s playoff series against New York was, in many ways, symbolic of the team’s overall state: promising, but not quite enough.Â
The Hawks jumped out to a 2-1 series lead, with team basketball, gritty defense, and good coaching helping them steal a pair of close games. What stood out most during these wins wasn’t how overwhelmingly talented the Hawks were, but rather how cohesively the team functioned. Each player was selfless, versatile, and fit into Quin Snyder’s scheme.
In the final three games of the series, however, the Knicks won by a combined 96 points. When New York dug in, the Hawks simply were not talented enough to compete. CJ McCollum and Jalen Johnson, the team’s primary shot creators, struggled in particular, and the Hawks posted a string of putrid offensive performances over this stretch.
Atlanta has the infrastructure to support a good team: good role players, sound coaching, and a shrewd GM. What the Hawks are missing is star talent.
Barring a miracle, the eighth pick won’t be enough
Jalen Johnson had a fantastic 2025-26 season, earning his first All-NBA team and being voted the most underrated player in the league by his peers. Johnson, however, is not your traditional first option, as he isn’t a particularly elite shot creator. Per databallr, Johnson ranks in the top quarter of the league in efficiency on transition and finishing playtypes, but posted a 56th percentile TS% on self-created looks.Â
The harsh reality is that, on a championship team, Johnson is most likely a second scoring option. This isn’t a death sentence for the Hawks, but it means they must acquire a better offensive weapon.
But this future first option on offense just won’t be available at the eighth overall pick. Over the past 36 drafts, only one 8th pick has made an All-Star appearance (Vin Baker). If Johnson’s All-NBA offense isn’t enough for Atlanta, it feels safe to assume that the 8th pick isn’t a safe bet to replace him on the totem pole.
The Giannis trade was the nail in the coffin
Despite Johnson’s questionable ability to be the first option, the Hawks were two wins away from defeating the eventual Finals-winning Knicks team. With how weak the Eastern Conference has been in recent memory, Atlanta could have conceivably made the NBA Finals with an imperfect roster.
That is, the Hawks could have made the Finals with this squad before the Heat traded for Giannis.Â
With Giannis in Miami, there is another plausible Finals contender in the East. This will, in turn, inspire the other titans of the East, such as the Pistons and Celtics, to make bold moves.
The eighth pick might give Atlanta a key contributor, perhaps even the Hawks’ second-best player. But for the Hawks to become a true championship contender, they’ll need to add more than just the 8th overall pick.
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