Hawks draft pick tracker: What fans should root for the rest of the season

The calendar just turned to December, and the next significant date is the 15th when trade restrictions on a large swath of players will expire. That will set the stage for a new flood of trade speculation.

Finding a proper trade could be challenging for a team as young as the Hawks, though. 

The Hawks’ front office could opt for an even deeper dive and head start into their draft preparation in what is expected to be a loaded class instead.

With so many factors impacting the Hawks’ draft capital situation, Soaring Down South will track and update the team’s position throughout the rest of the season. They are slated to have up to two picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, though neither is their own.

Atlanta Hawks 2025 NBA Draft pick breakdown

The Hawks traded their 2025 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs in 2022 for Dejounte Murray, who will make his return to Atlanta on Monday night.

They also traded the lottery-protected Charlotte Hornets pick they received from the New York Knicks in the Cam Reddish trade from 2023 as part of the initial Murray deal, potentially leaving them with the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings’ first-round picks. 

The Hawks acquired the Kings’ pick in the Kevin Huerter trade in 2022.

The pick was originally lottery-protected. But it did not convey since the Kings failed to make the postseason last year. 

The restrictions are lighter this year, and will only be for the top-10 in 2026. If the pick fails to convey by then, it will turn into second-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Hawks fans should want to see the beam lit just enough to get that pick but beware of the lottery leap.

The Kings have the second-hardest remaining schedule, per Tankathon.

Atlanta acquired LA’s pick as part of its second Murray trade, sending the 2021-22 steals leader and All-Star to the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2024 offseason.

New Orleans owned the pick from trading Anthony Davis to the Lakers in 2019. It is widely viewed as valuable. But the Lakers have been better to start the season under new head coach JJ Redick than many expected.

The Lakers have the 10th-hardest remaining slate.

Hawks fans should want Timberwolves to lose

The Hawks own the rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ second-round pick this year from the Usman Garuba trade in 2023, giving fans a rooting interest in their games too.

Second-round draft picks rarely get the same attention as first-rounders, especially when they are just nameless slots. But the Hawks have proven how valuable they can be, rostering several intriguing prospects selected in the round including rookie Nikola Djurisic.

Prospects selected in the second round pan out less often than first-rounders. 

However, they represent opportunities and can be used to grease the wheels of trades for veterans. The Hawks traded five seconds in a three-team deal for Saddiq Bey in 2023.

The Hawks’ 2025 second-round pick was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Danilo Gallinari. So it would not be surprising to see them pursue a similar fringe deal at or even before the trade deadline this year.