Why the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Will Be One of the Biggest Days In Franchise History for the Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of a playoff push. They are 31-31, having gone 5-1 since the All-Star Break, and Jonathan Kuminga just had one of the best debuts for a Hawks player in franchise history.

However, this is an organization that has admitted they are prioritizing development and has an eye towards the future. They are hoping to make the playoffs, but with a lottery pick, plus two other selections, the Hawks could add a lot of talent this offseason.

The Hawks don't have their own pick, of course, but the more favorable selection between the Bucks and the Pelicans. Right now, New Orleans is 5th in lottery odds, and Milwaukee is 10th. The Pelicans have strung together some wins and have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, so this pick could continue to fall in placement if the Pelicans continue to win games. Not only that, the Hawks will get the Cleveland Cavaliers' pick and own a second-round pick courtesy of the Boston Celtics

While the other picks are nice, the lottery has a chance to give the Hawks a franchise cornerstone and change the direction of the team.

Why it matters so much

Darryn Peterson Kansas Jayhawk — Feb 28, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) dribbles the ball during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The Hawks have a very nice collection of young talent. Jalen Johnson has gotten better in each season and has a case to maybe be an All-NBA player at the end of the season if things go well. Dyson Daniels is an elite defender and an underrated player overall, Nickeil Alexander-Walker is perhaps the best free agent signing of last summer, and Onyeka Okongwu is a very good center.

But aside from Johnson, how many of these players are without a doubt part of the Hawks future plans? You can make a case for each of them, but none of them are franchise altering talents either.

This draft would give the Hawks a chance to get one of those players.

Now, Atlanta could still tab a really nice player if they land outside of the top four, but this draft has three (maybe four) elite level talents that could change the course of this franchise.

Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson all have elite potential and could give the Hawks a franchise superstar to put around Johnson and perhaps some others on this Hawks team. These four players would be No. 1 in various other drafts and the fact that they are all going to be in the same draft presents opportunities for every team in the lottery.

The Hawks have not had a lot of luck in past lotteries however. Since 2000:

Dropped from 5th to 6th in 2000
Jumped from 5th to 3rd in 2001
Stayed at 8th in 2002
Stayed at 8th in 2003
Stayed at 6th in 2004
Dropped from 1st to 2nd in 2005
Dropped from 4th to 5th in 2006
Jumped from 4th to 3rd in 2007
Jumped from 4th to 3rd in 2018
Dropped from 5th to 8th in 2019
Dropped from 4th to 6th in 2020
Jumped from 10th to 1st in 2024

They made the big jump in 2024, but with all due respect to Zaccharie Risacher, that was in a draft that no team was very excited for. When their have been percieved generational talents in the draft (2003, 2007, 2019, and 2020), the Hawks have failed to leap into the top four or to the No. 1 spot.

If they can land in the top three of this draft, it could be a franchise altering day for the Atlanta Hawks. If they don't, they will have to hope whoever they take at No. 5 or later will turn out to be a core piece of this franchise alongside Jalen Johnson.

May 10th is going to be huge for every team in the lottery, but the Hawks have a path to being an elite team with elite talent if they get lucky and the ping pong balls bounce their way.