Hawks Valued Draft Picks, Flexibility At 2026 Trade Deadline

The Atlanta Hawks made four trades within a week of the 2026 NBA trade deadline. Atlanta received three second-round picks in two deals. They traded Vít Krejčí to the Portland Trail Blazers for Duop Reath and two second-round selections. The Hawks also received a second-round pick, along with Gabe Vincent, from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Luke Kennard. Both deals weakened the roster for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign; the Hawks waived Reath, and Vincent likely plays fewer minutes than Kennard. However, general manager Onsi Saleh prioritized future roster flexibility over small, short-term advantages for this season.

Hawks Valued Draft Picks, Flexibility At 2026 Trade Deadline

Atlanta Needed More Second-Round Selections After 2023 Trade

Second-round draft capital can often be overlooked. Many veterans who can give playoff squads a big boost go for three, four, or even five picks. For example, the Charlotte Hornets sent two second-rounders and Collin Sexton to the Chicago Bulls for Coby White ahead of this year’s deadline. Atlanta made a similar trade for a starting-caliber veteran in 2023, acquiring Saddiq Bey in a four-team deal.

The Hawks sent out five second-round selections, four of them being their own, in the deal. Bey played 25 games down the stretch of the 2022-23 regular season. He averaged 11.6 points and 4.8 rebounds, shooting 40.0% from deep in 25.2 minutes per game. Bey began the following season as Atlanta’s starting power forward but shot a career-low 31.6% from 3-point range before tearing his ACL on March 10, 2024.

This transaction put the Hawks at a severe draft asset deficit. Not only did they give up five second-round picks in 2023, but they also traded three first-round picks when they acquired Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in the 2022 offseason. The lack of picks decreased Atlanta’s flexibility to add quality veteran depth over the last few campaigns. Saleh changed that this season. He spoke to the media about his trade deadline decisions on Feb. 7.

“We wanted to accumulate assets. When I came [to Atlanta], we were at a deficit of draft assets. Now, we’re actually at a surplus,” expressed Saleh confidently.

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