Since 2021, the Atlanta Hawks have gone from the Eastern Conference Finals to a first-round exit to missing the playoffs entirely. Despite their recent postseason struggles, the Hawks are quietly building something special.
Atlanta boasts one of the most exciting young cores in basketball, but Trae Young and his teammates couldn’t escape the injury bug last season. Young only missed six games and kept the Hawks afloat to the tune of 40 wins and a play-in loss, while Jalen Johnson missed more than half of the season with a torn labrum.
New Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh traded for Kristaps Porzingis ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, but he made a potentially franchise-altering move on draft night. The Hawks fleeced the New Orleans Pelicans for their 2026 unprotected first-round pick before drafting a lottery-level talent in Asa Newell with the No. 23 pick they also acquired in the deal.
The NBA world praised Saleh for his draft-night wizardry. ESPN insider Shams Charania called Atlanta a 'big winner' and credited Saleh for his 'shrewd movement.'
Given the abhorrent state of a Pelicans organization that won 21 games last season, the Hawks seem destined to snag a lottery pick in next year’s draft. If the basketball gods exist and reward teams for good business decisions, Atlanta will earn a top-three pick in the draft with the chance to draft a generational talent like AJ Dybantsa.
The 2026 draft class is loaded with primetime prospects ready to make an impact as soon as they enter the league. Assuming the Hawks obtain one of these prospects, they will be adding a rookie with game-changing potential to a core of Young, Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Onyeka Okongwu, Asa Newell, and more. Excluding Ice Trae, Atlanta’s projected starting five (with Okongwu, not Porzingis, at center) has an average age of 21.8 years.
Still only 26 years old, Young is the veteran leader of the Hawks’ primary core. Atlanta’s franchise player hasn’t even entered his prime yet, but he is coming off a record-breaking campaign in which he logged the most total assists and assists per game for a single season in Hawks history.
Hawks’ current foundation will lead to NBA Finals berth by 2030
Atlanta is building the perfect foundation for eventual championship contention. Saleh and his staff have laid the groundwork for more offseason moves that would beef up an intriguing roster stacked with young talent and positional versatility. As the league's new CBA begins to take its toll on several franchises, Atlanta could not be better positioned to avoid its looming restrictions.
The Hawks currently sit close to $40 million below the first tax apron, meaning they have an incredible amount of money to spend in the trade market and free agency. Due to the outgoing contracts of Georges Niang and Terrance Mann, the Porzingis trade made almost no dent in Atlanta’s cap space. The Hawks have a level of financial flexibility most teams don’t, which they could use to sign (or re-sign) mid-level free agents, take on extra money in trades, or bring in a marquee free agent via trade or signing.
The Hawks also own a massive $25.3 million trade exception that came from last summer’s Dejounte Murray trade, as well as a $13 million TPE they attained by trading Bogdan Bogdanovic in February. Atlanta has been heavily linked to Nickeil Alexander-Walker as a potential target to acquire with one of its trade exceptions (or the mid-level exception). If they sign-and-trade for Alexander-Walker, the Hawks could still use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to either bring back Caris LeVert or sign another depth piece.
If he navigates free agency as well as he navigated the draft, Saleh could set up the Hawks for many years of progress and success. Atlanta’s financial situation could not give the team a more advantageous opportunity to climb the NBA ranks. With Achilles tears for Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard all jeopardizing Eastern Conference contenders, the Hawks could soon emerge as the next team up.
Atlanta’s future has arguably never looked brighter. If things fall into place at next year’s draft lottery, the Hawks will reach an NBA Finals before the end of this decade.