The Atlanta Hawks only had one pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, which begs the question about what comes next.
Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh provided some clarity, though not much.
“We’re flexible. We’re optional, and the optionality is what we’re – I keep saying we have different things,” Saleh told reporters after the conclusion of the first round of the draft on June 25. “Yeah, it’s something we’re definitely interested in, for sure. A lot of things that we could do, but we’ll get there when we get there.”
The Hawks have acquired several second-round picks in recent years, acquiring Mouhamed Gueye and Nikola Djurisic, who signed a contract with the College Park Skyhawks last offseason, that way in 2024.
Second-round picks can also be currency in trades, helping to grease the wheels of an otherwise stagnated transaction.
The Hawks would need to surrender some asset to get back into the 2025 draft.
Hawks primed for next phase of offseason
After two trades, the Hawks are well positioned to be players in the veteran free agency and trade market this offseason. That would give them plenty of reason to avoid adding another young prospect, even one they plan to stash.
Their roster is plenty young, and Djurisic is essentially a draft-and-stash player already.
These Hawks need ready-made contributors, the likes of which are unlikely, but not impossible, to find in the second round of the typical NBA draft.
According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith, the Hawks are “$30.7M under the tax with four open roster spots” after their trade with the Pelicans, the second deal the two organizations have done in the last calendar year.
The Hawks came out on top in the first deal. Time will tell about this one.
Smith’s note about the tax is key, because the Hawks still have their highly valued $25.3 million traded player exception, which they are expected to use, potentially in a sign-and-trade.
Among the options that the Hawks have been linked to are pending Minnesota Timberwolves unrestricted free agent Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Getting guard help would seem to be paramount for the Hawks this offseason.
They still have 2023 first-round pick Kobe Bufkin, but he has not proven reliable.
For a Hawks team that has enough veterans to push to compete in a weakened Eastern Conference, their current plan of attack makes more sense than not, at least so far.