Hawks Mock Draft: Atlanta Secures Their SF Of The Future By Trading Down For Versatile Texas Wing

Could the Hawks take advantage of a rather deep draft for guards by trading down for a versatile player with guard/forward flexibility?

Mar 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) celebrates after a play against the Purdue Boilermakers in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The long-term state of the SF position for the Atlanta Hawks is a huge question mark.

There are several candidates who could theoretically fill the role. A huge offseason from Zaccharie Risacher would propel him into the driver's seat for that spot while Jonathan Kuminga showed flashes at times. Corey Kispert's contract dictates that the Hawks will at least try him at that spot in a few matchups.

However, those options aren't very inspiring and the Hawks should strongly consider trying to add to it by way of the 2026 Draft. While it would be ideal to land someone like AJ Dybantsa or Caleb Wilson to occupy that role, Atlanta did not have the lottery luck necessary to land those players. Barring a truly unexpected decision, both of those players will be in the top four selections of this year's draft.

Instead, there are options deeper down the board that the Hawks should target. They may not need to take the player at No. 8 overall, but there are several teams that may want to move up for their draft target in the top ten. The Hawks are a team that can take advantage of that.

Round 1, No, 14 overall pick: Dailyn Swain - Guard, Texas

Mar 21, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) dunks against Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Tyon Grant-Foster (7) in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Trade-Down Scenario

Hawks receive: No. 14 overall, 2029 1st-round pick (via MIN, CLE or UTA)

Charlotte Hornets receive: No. 8 overall (Aday Mara)

The Hawks need to add more players who can hold up on the perimeter, handle the ball and rebound at an above-average level. Swain ticks off all three boxes. He's about 6'6 barefoot (likely 6'8 in shoes) with a 6'10 wingspan. Those are great numbers for a modern SF in the NBA and Swain knows how to use those tools on defense. He's got fast feet, doesn't get blown by very often and can guard forwards or guards due to his combination of speed and strength. He's also a defensive playmaker, posting 1.6 steals in his lone season at Texas. For a Hawks team that doesn't have a lot of standout on-ball defenders, Swain should be a refreshing change.

Hoever, his offensive potential might be even more exciting. Swain is a fantastic ball-handler who averaged an excellent AST:USG ratio of 0.85. He's a great passer in pick-and-roll scenarios and it'd be fun for the Hawks to have two forwards in Jalen Johnson and Swain who are legitimately capable of running the offense. The stats speak for themselves - he averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists on a stellar 63.6 TS% last season. He's an excellent isolation scorer to boot and the Hawks would recieve a boost in the self-creation department by adding Swain to their roster.

The main question is his 3P%. He made a combined ten threes during his two seasons at Xavier and shot 34.4% on just 2.6 attempts a game at Texas. Even so, the FT% of 81.5% on 5.6 attempts a game speaks to Swain's impressive touch. There's a good chance that Swain's shooting at the NBA level is a lot better than it was in college. At just 20 years old, there's legitimate star upside with Swain and the Hawks could be getting a steal at No. 14 despite trading back.

Round 1, Pick 22: Morez Johnson Jr - PF, Michigan

Apr 6, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) celebrates after defeating the Connecticut Huskies in the national championship of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Morez Johnson is a pretty straightforward evaluation. He's an energy big man with a 6'9 height and 7'3 wingspan. He can hold his own physically at 250 lbs, but Johnson doesn't have the most intricate footwork or diverse scoring touch. Rather, he's a decent rim protector with legitimate upside as a switch defender and an insane motor to go with it. Johnson will be able to make a difference on the boards for the Hawks - he averaged 10.5 rebounds a game per 36 minutes as part of Michigan's title run last season. He's a decent free throw shooter, hitting 78.2% of his free throws on 3.9 attempts a game. Maybe that hints at some untapped shooting upside, but Johnson will be an additive player even if the shot never develops into a legitimate weapon.

He makes a lot of sense for Atlanta as a candidate for backup center minutes next to Asa Newell. Deploying Newell and Johnson to rack up rebounds would be a fun wrinkle for the Hawks to add - Newell shot 38.7% from deep (albeit on low volume) and showed some signs of shooting touch as a rookie. If he develops that further, he and Johnson's outlier rebounding could swing some regular season games in the Hawks' favor and propel them to a better seed in the East next season. Playing with Onyeka Okongwu would be rather easy for Johnson as well. He and Okongwu are both very switchable defenders whereas Johnson has the outlier wingspan to guard against true seven footers. He'll take some time to adjust to NBA strength and it's possible he gets stuck as a tweener in the NBA level. However, Johnson's motor is rare and it's worth betting on players who work as hard as he does.