2027 Hawks Mock Draft: First Projection For Atlanta Lands Them One of College Basketball's Biggest Stars

it is never too early to start thinking about the 2027 NBA Draft.

This upcoming draft class is going to be fascinating to watch. It is already being looked at as a very weak class, at least at the very top, due to not having a Cooper Flagg or AJ Dybantsa level of prospect there right now. Could some players improve their stock and change that? Sure, but this draft is not going to garner much hype heading into the NBA and college basketball season.

The Atlanta Hawks were hoping that a savvy trade they made with the New Orleans Pelicans on the night of the 2025 NBA Draft (Atlanta acquired an unprotected 2026 pick that was the most favorable of New Orleans and Milwaukee) would pay off with one of the four can't-miss prospects in the 2026 draft, but lottery luck did not fall their way. They still ended up picking Houston PG Kingston Flemings at No.8 and he was impressive in Summer League.

2027 is the final draft where the Hawks will owe a draft pick to the San Antonio Spurs, but Atlanta could still end up with a valuable selection thanks to another trade with the Pelicans. For the 2027 draft, Atlanta will have the least favorable of the Pelicans' and Bucks' selections if one of the picks is outside the top four. In a weakened draft with no ability to get into the top four, it is not as valuable of a pick, but it still holds solid value.

In his first mock draft for 2027, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman mocked UConn forward Braylon Mullins to Atlanta with the No. 6 overall pick.

Will the Hawks take Mullins?

Braylon Mullins UCon — UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) looks for space Monday, April 6, 2026, against the Michigan Wolverines during the NCAA men's basketball tournament national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Forecasting a team's needs this early ahead of a draft, especially a draft where there are no sure things in the top ten, is hard to do.

Mullins could have been a lottery pick (most likely) if he had come out in this year's draft, but he is going back to UConn to try and win the national championship with the Huskies. He is an elite shooter who will be able to play quickly in the NBA because of how dangerous he is with his shot. I think he could be the best player available at this juncture of the draft for Atlanta, but again, there is a long way to go.

The Hawks have a nice nucleus of talent. Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Onyeka Okongwu are all under contract for next season, not to mention the rookie trio of Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar. Aaron Wiggins and Asa Newell are two other players who should be on the roster next season no matter what as well.

But Atlanta does have a huge number of expiring contracts and that could create a need that they want to fill during the draft. CJ McCollum, Lu Dort, Jock Landale, Mouhamed Gueye, Ryan Nembhard, and possibly Devin Carter and Buddy Hield could all be off the Hawks roster next season, whether it is because they were aggregrated together in a star trade or Atlanta let's their contracts expire.

The draft mantra for Atlanta under President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh has been to take the best player available and that should not be any different next June, no matter where the pick lands.

This could be a moot point anyway. The Hawks, who are already one of the youngest teams in the league, may not want to make another pick, especially if the draft is as talent drained as it is thought to be. It could also be used in a trade or if the both the Bucks and Pelicans picks end up in the top four, they may not have a selection at all.

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