If everything goes perfectly for the Atlanta Hawks this coming season, it might just involve a playoff run as well as a top-five pick in the NBA Draft. That sentence would have felt laughable a month ago, but it is not so far-fetched anymore.
For years, Atlanta found itself in the strange middle ground between contention and irrelevance. The high point was the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals appearance, but the years that followed saw the franchise struggle to build on that momentum.
The Trae Young–Dejounte Murray experiment never fully clicked, and the team lacked a clear identity. But after winning the draft lottery a year ago and executing a flurry of smart moves this offseason, the Hawks suddenly feel like a franchise with structure and upside.
Landing Zaccharie Risacher with the first pick gave Atlanta a much-needed foundational wing who fits the modern game. Trading Murray to New Orleans for a package centered around Dyson Daniels (now the reigning Most Improved Player) allowed the Hawks to regain roster balance. Now, trading with the New Orleans Pelicans has given them the opportunity to land a potentially very valuable selection next summer, and it could even land in the top five.
The Hawks could end up in a dream scenario
What would a dream season look like next year? First, this team becomes a real threat to finish in the top four of the Eastern Conference. That is already a possibility based on how the roster is constructed. Kristaps Porzingis offers a high-level frontcourt presence who can space the floor, Nickeil Alexander-Walker brings two-way energy on the wing, and Luke Kennard gives them the kind of perimeter shooting that complements Trae Young’s game well.
From there, if the Pelicans or Bucks stumble and that 2026 pick jumps up into the top five, the Hawks will find themselves in rare territory: winning games now while holding a ticket to the top of next year’s draft.
That kind of situation does not come around often, especially in the modern NBA where draft capital is usually leveraged to win in the short term. Atlanta is in the rare position to have both. A solid core has already been formed around Young, Daniels, Risacher and Jalen Johnson with others incoming, and the possibility of adding another premium young talent next summer only strengthens the foundation.
For a franchise that once felt stuck, this new version of the Hawks is suddenly one of the more fascinating teams in the league to watch. The dream season might just be a few breaks away from becoming reality.