Does Atlanta Own The Most Valuable Draft Pick In The NBA?

Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Derik Queen stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the 13th pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are not usually the team that gets praise for their offseason prowess and decision making, but you would be hard-pressed to find someone who follows the NBA who does not like what the Hawks have done this offseason.

Things got started with the big three-team trade that landed the Hawks Kristaps Porzingis and they continued into the actual free agent period. Atlanta signed arguably the top free agent on the market when they inked former Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a four-year $62 million deal and then free agent sharpshooter Luke Kennard signed a one-year 11$ million deal.

The biggest move for the Hawks, though, was on draft night. After trading the No. 22 pick to the Nets in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Atlanta was left with the No. 13 pick in the draft. The Hawks were able to move back from 13 to 23 in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, and in return, the Hawks got an unprotected 2026 first-round pick that will be the most favorable of New Orleans or Milwaukee. There is a chance that the pick ends up being a top-five or higher selection. It was a stunning trade that left the NBA world speechless.

Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Asa Newell stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the 23rd pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Not only do the Hawks have a team that can contend next season, but they could land an elite prospect to continue their build. Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and AJ Dybansta are thought of as high-level prospects, and each is viewed as worthy of the first overall pick. Given that, is it fair to say that the Hawks own the most valuable draft asset in the NBA? CBS Sports analyst Sam Quinn ranked every traded draft pick in the NBA, and the 2026 pick that the Hawks got from New Orleans took the top spot:

"The Pelicans had the fourth-worst record in the NBA last season. Their presumptive starting point guard is nursing a torn Achilles. There is not a starting-caliber center on the roster. They are integrating two rookies picked in the lottery, both of whom need the ball in their hands and neither of whom is a strong 3-point shooter. They play in the Western Conference. They have the worst front office in the NBA. Oh, and it comes attached to swap rights with the Bucks. This article, conveniently enough, is publishing in the same week that ESPN's Shams Charania is reporting that nothing is set in stone in regards to Giannis Antetokounmpo's future.

Forget about this year's rankings. This pick was a lock to top them the moment it was traded. The real question is where this ranks among the most valuable draft picks traded in recent NBA history. In the interest of fairness, we probably have to ignore the madness of the 1970s and 1980s, when Ted Stepien traded picks so freely they literally named a rule after him. Let's set the landmark at the Celtics-Nets trade that sent Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to Boston as our starting point for the modern history of draft pick trading. Even those picks, at the time of the trade, were probably less valuable than this one because they conveyed between three and five years away. There was uncertainty baked into their value at the time of the trade. That's not the case here. We're talking about a pick in the immediate future."

Could the pick be an important trade piece if Giannis Antetokounmpo wants out of Milwaukee?

Not only could this be a potentially elite lottery prospect, but if Giannis decides he is done in Milwaukee, Atlanta could have a lot of leverage in trade talks due to having this pick. Not only could Milwaukee get good young players from Atlanta, but they could control their own fate next season and bottom out. While the Hawks could not offer them the wealth of picks like San Antonio or Houston could, they don't own any picks that belong to Milwaukee.

Right now, it appears as if Giannis is going to stay in Milwaukee, but the Hawks have the most valuable draft asset in the NBA and could be lurking in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to acquire one of the NBA's best players.