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Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Asa Newell stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the 23rd pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Controversial Hawks Trade Ranked As The Most Lopsided of the Offseason

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 8:07 AM ET

The Atlanta Hawks are not usually the team that gets praise for their offseason prowess and decision making, but you would be hard-pressed to find someone who follows the NBA who does not like what the Hawks have done this offseason.

Things got started with the big three-team trade that landed the Hawks Kristaps Porzingis and they continued into the actual free agent period. Atlanta signed arguably the top free agent on the market when they inked former Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a four-year $62 million deal and then free agent sharpshooter Luke Kennard signed a one-year 11$ million deal.

The biggest move for the Hawks, though, was on draft night. After trading the No. 22 pick to the Nets in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Atlanta was left with the No. 13 pick in the draft. The Hawks were able to move back from 13 to 23 in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, and in return, the Hawks got an unprotected 2026 first-round pick that will be the most favorable of New Orleans or Milwaukee. There is a chance that the pick ends up being a top-five or higher selection. It was a stunning trade that left the NBA world speechless.

Most lopsided trade of the offseason?

The trade has received a lot of attention this offseason and for good reason. In a recent article, Bleacher Report's Dan Favale ranked the trade as the most lopsided of the offseason:

Atlanta Hawks Received: Asa Newell (No. 23), 2026 first-round pick (unprotected, most favorable from Milwaukee Bucks or New Orleans Pelicans)

New Orleans Pelicans Received: Derik Queen (No. 13)

"Newell is a fine prospect who becomes much more valuable if he can scale up from the 4 to the 5. Make no mistake, though, the crown jewel from this trade is the unprotected pick.

You'd be hard-pressed to find two teams facing as much uncertainty next season as Milwaukee and New Orleans. The Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner and a bunch of dudes, along with the specter of the two-time MVP's future hanging over their heads. The Pelicans are doing...God knows what.

It'll be a genuine shock if the Hawks didn't just snare a lottery pick in exchange for moving down 10 draft spots. That's a ridiculous value. And they owe it all to a New Orleans front office that doesn't realize it's about to finish 11th or worse in the Western Conference—as well as any teams that might have passed on the Pelicans' trade-up package."

New Orleans is projected to have one of the worst records in the league and in a draft that is projected to be loaded at the top with players like Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer, the Hawks could be contending for a spot in the NBA Finals while adding a franchise player at the top of the draft next offseason.

If it were not for the trade involving Luka Doncic going to the Lakers, this might have been not just the most lopsided trade of the offseason, but maybe of the last decade.

It is that bad, but Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh is certainly not complaining.