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The 2025 NBA Draft is still three months away and prospects are still making their case to be drafted in the lottery, and we don't know where teams will be picking. The Hawks have an interesting draft situation coming up. They are without their own draft picks right now, but they could have as many as two picks in the 2025 draft. They own the Los Angeles Lakers unprotected pick right now and own the Kings first-round pick (top-12 protected). The Lakers have surged in the standings over the last month, while the Kings are right on the line to make the NBA's play-in tournament. If things hold right now, Atlanta will have the No. 14 pick and the No. 26 pick.
In the latest mock draft from our friends at NBA Draft On SI, the Hawks make two interesting selections.
14. Atlanta Hawks (via SAC): Derik Queen (Maryland)
26. Atlanta Hawks (via LAL): Donnie Freeman (Syracuse)
Queen is a 6'10, 246 LBS center who plays at Maryland while Freeman is a 6'9 forward from Syracuse. Queen is averaging 15.9 PPG and 9.0 RPG this season on 53% shooting from the field. The Hawks are going to potentially have a hole on their roster when it comes to backup center with Clint Capela and Larry Nance's contracts expiring and Queen would be an interesting fit. He is a very talented offensive player, but he struggles on the other end of the floor, which may not make him a Hawks target.
Freeman is playing on a bad team, but is having a solid season. Freeman is averaging 13.4 PPG and 7.9 RPG on 50.4% shooting from the field and 33% from three. One of the biggest issues going into this season for the Hawks was their depth in the frontcourt and even with Georges Niang coming back next season, they need some other players there.
With De'Andre Hunter traded and Caris LeVert, Larry Nance Jr, Clint Capela, and Garrison Matthews all free agents, the Hawks could use more bodies in the frontcourt. Even before this season, and Jalen Johnson was injured for the year, the Hawks' backup power forward spot was a question mark. Both Queen and Freeman are not perfect players, but would give the Hawks options to develop as they continue to shape this roster around the core of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Zaccharie Risacher.
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