Atlanta Hawks Defy the Odds In 2024 NBA Draft Lottery

The Atlanta Hawks didn’t have a very good 2023-24 NBA season, getting eliminated in the NBA Play-In Tournament by the Chicago Bulls. But, their ineptitude during the season has been rewarded with a historic amount of luck in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery.

On Sunday, the league revealed the lottery results to set the order for the 2024 NBA Draft. The Atlanta Hawks came in with only a three percent chance to land the No. 1 overall pick. But, the ping pong balls were in their favor, as the 36-46 team will be picking first in June.

Their three percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick is the fifth-lowest odds since the lottery began in 1985. Heading into the night, the Hawks were in the 10th spot based on percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick.

“It was a shock,” Hawks GM Landry Fields said following the lottery Sunday. “You look at the percentages, but when I first saw it wasn’t us between 10 and 12 that launched us into the top 4, so I was like, all right we got a real shot at this thing. Bit of a surprise, but a lot of excitement.”

This is the first time in Atlanta Hawks history that they won the NBA Draft Lottery. It will be the first time since 1975 that they will be selecting first overall. Hall of Famer David Thompson was selected with that pick, but he never suited up for the Hawks. He spent seven seasons with the Denver Nuggets and two with the Seattle SuperSonics.

The Atlanta Hawks certainly hope whoever they select this time around can turn into that level of player for their franchise. What was already going to be an eventful offseason has another level of intrigue added for the Hawks, who have been involved in trade rumors with their star backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.