Should the Atlanta Hawks Trade the No. 1 Pick in 2024 Draft? NBA Experts Think So!

Heading into the draft, the Hawks were projected to get the 10th pick and only boasted a three percent chance to land the top selection. But after last night, Atlanta joins the 1993 Orlando Magic, 2008 Chicago Bulls, 2011 and 2014 Cleveland Cavaliers in getting the top pick with less than a three percent chance.

For their part, the Hawks finished the regular season with 36-46 record and almost went to the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament. But thanks to injuries and Young’s ineffective fit with Dejounte Murray, Atlanta further regressed from when they reached the Conference Finals a couple of years ago.

NBA Experts Say Atlanta Hawks Should Trade Number One Pick in The 2024 Draft

Unlike the previous draft that saw the Spurs pick Victor Wembanyama as the top pick, this year’s class of rookie is regarded as the weakest in recent memory. This is why NBA experts, such as Kevin O’Connor and John Fanta, suggested trading the first pick for proven talent:

“Top 4 Picks for the 2024 NBA Draft:

1. Atlanta

2. Washington

3. Houston

4. San Antonio

No clear-cut choice for any of these picks this year. Going to be a fascinating pre-draft process. I’d expect the Hawks and Rockets to especially be active in the trade market. Wild result,” O’Connor tweeted.

“The most valuable thing that I think the Atlanta Hawks can do with the #1 pick is trade it. There’s just no overwhelming favorite and if a team is in love with a prospect, the value Atlanta could get to still get a guy that could pan out better than the top pick is very real,” Fanta said.

As it stands, the Hawks have a chance to package the number one pick with either Young or Murray to get back another star to join the team. They can also obtain draft capital or talented role players to go along with their target star to instantly transform them into contender.

The 2024 NBA Draft is scheduled on June 26 and 27, with the first and second rounds happening in different nights. By then, everyone will know what Atlanta will do with the first pick to help the team become better next season.