Atlanta being bereft of their own 2027 first round pick seemed like a simple one-sided curse heading into next season.
Enter Sam Presti, the GM of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and his disdain for his rivals in south Texas - San Antonio owning Atlanta's pick next year has become a hidden positive surprise for the Hawks this summer.
Thanks to Presti, the Hawks have acquired both Dort and Wiggins in what has become a beautiful pair of offseason moves by Onsi Saleh. The Hawks add two productive players, and Sam Presti gets to spite his rivals in the Western Conference.
Sam Presti's genius strategy: the enemy of my enemy is my friend
You've certainly heard the age-old adage somewhere before - clearly, so has Presti.
As San Antonio owns the exclusive unprotected rights to Atlanta's first-rounder next year, Presti thought one step ahead - he had to get rid of Dort and Wiggins regardless of their destination, hoping to stay under the second apron this offseason.
After weighing his options and realizing no team would return a coveted first-rounder of their own in any sign-and-trade deal for Dort, the answer was obvious - he could still acquire semi-valuable second round draft capital while also sabotaging San Antonio's future draft assets.
The question remains - just how much better will the Hawks be thanks to adding Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins versus without the pair of former Thunder teammates?
What Dort and Wiggins could mean for Atlanta's success next year
Aaron Wiggins' impact isn't as direct as Dort's, but it's still measurable. Wiggins was most valuable to the Thunder during times of injury - having Wiggins as your 10th man (or deeper) meant OKC was a threat to win any game on a nightly basis, regardless of the health of their entire starting lineup.
A similar truth can now be held by Atlanta this season. While it may not be quite to the degree of the elite Thunder squads over the last few seasons, if the Hawks are missing one, two, or three starters, it's quite likely they'll be able to steal a handful more games thanks to Wiggins' presence on the bench as an impact scorer.
With both Dort and Wiggins bolstering an already deep Hawks roster, look out Eastern Conference (and San Antonio) - Atlanta will likely be gracing the playoffs once again, and we owe a fair bit of thanks to Sam Presti for helping along the way.
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