Hawks GM Landry Fields gets honest about plan for No. 1 overall pick

Will they or won’t they? That question will follow the Hawks in some form or fashion, perhaps for the duration of the offseason until the 2024 NBA Draft on June 26-27.

The consensus is that there is no consensus on what the Hawks will do. Hawks general manager Landry Fields addressed the media in the aftermath of the lottery and essentially lent credence to that idea.

One thing Fields was clear about is that the Hawks are going to do what they feel is best.

“I just look at it as … It’s so good for our franchise. It’s exciting for us to continue to build out things that we’re doing here in Atlanta. This is just another tool for us. It’s exciting. It’s a great day,” Fields told reporters via teleconference on May 12. “You hear rumors about how the draft class is shaping out. But we’ll see about [potentially trading the No. 1 pick]. 

The lack of a clear-cut No. 1 prospect has some around the league convinced this is one of if not the worst classes to land the top pick in recent memory.

Landry Fields gets pivotal moment in tenure as Hawks GM

Fields took over amid some controversy and has dealt with some tumult in his early tenure running the show for the Hawks. This offseason could also see him trade the face of the franchise, Trae Young.

“I totally trust what we’ve been doing leading up even to this point in time, right?” Fields said. “Our process where choosing players, and bringing them into the building has already begun. We’ve been doing it. Our scouts have been extremely hard at work. People have been on the road – I’ve been on the road. We’re prepared for this moment, frankly. 

“It’s just a part of our process.

“We’ll get together as a group and continue to beat this thing up every which way to make sure we’re doing things right and what’s best for the Atlanta Hawks.”

Fields was pressed about potential plans to trade out of the No. 1 slot. Even in a weak class, the Hawks should have no shortage of prospective trade partners if they made the pick available in a deal.

He maintained that it is too early in the process to worry about that.

“Not even our focus right now. This is a point in time where the opportunity that’s before us is an excellent opportunity. And it puts us in position, right? Positioning is key in this business, and that’s the position we have right now; No. 1 position. So we’ll just keep doing what we do, gather as a group, and we’ll figure this thing out in time.”

For now, Fields has time on his side. But that will quickly run out with just over six weeks until the draft in Chicago.