The Atlanta Hawks won the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago on Sunday.
The Hawks had a three percent chance to win the draft lottery and had never won the event in franchise history before Sunday.
NBA Draft Lottery picks
- Atlanta Hawks
- Washington Wizards
- Houston Rockets
- San Antonio Spurs
- Detroit Pistons
- Charlotte Hornets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Utah Jazz
- Chicago Bulls
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Sacramento Kings
- Portland Trail Blazers
The 14 teams eligible for the draft lottery did not make the playoffs, and the final lottery odds were determined after the end of the 2023-24 regular season.
The draft lottery determines the selection order for the first 14 picks of the NBA Draft. The lottery drawings determine the draft’s first four picks, and the remainder of the lottery teams will select players in Nos. 5 through 14 in inverse order of their regular-season records.
The 2024 NBA Draft will be held June 26 and 27. The first round will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 26, and the second round will take place at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York on June 27.
For more on the draft lottery, follow The Athletic’s live blog.
What this means for Hawks
The Hawks’ unexpected move to the top of the draft board is a huge lucky break for a franchise that had been going sideways. It may also make it easier to sell the local market on a trade of Trae Young if they have a top pick joining the roster.
With two rim-protecting centers near the top of most draft boards, this could also be a great opportunity for the Hawks to select their center of the future and work on a trade involving Clint Capela’s expiring contract.
Given the team’s forward rotation, Atlanta could also seek help on the wing in the form of UConn’s Stephon Castle and G League Ignite’s Ron Holland or Matas Buzelis.
The win doesn’t come without problems, as the picks’ higher salary will complicate their efforts to stay below the luxury tax line. — John Hollinger, NBA senior writer
Required reading
(Photo: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
