Latest 2026 Mock Draft Sees Atlanta Land Elite Big Ten Guard With Lottery Pick

The Atlanta Hawks currently have the longest winning streak in the NBA right now, having won seven straight games, and they are now just 2.5 games behind the Raptors for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are 8-1 since the All-Star break and have had a remarkable turnaround to put themselves in position to make the playoffs.

While all of that is the talk of the town, the Hawks still have a shot at landing a top pick in what is expected to be a loaded 2026 NBA Draft. Because of the draft night trade made with the New Orleans Pelicans last summer, Atlanta owns the most favorable, unprotected pick between New Orleans and Milwaukee. Heading into Wednesday's games, New Orleans is at No. 6 in the Draft Lottery Odds and Milwaukee is at No. 10.

If the Hawks do pick at No. 6 and don't leap into the top three, who would they land? In the latest ESPN mock draft, draft analyst Jeremy Woo has the Hawks selecting Illinois guard Keaton Wagler at No. 6, Duke guard Isaiah Evans at No. 25, and BYU's Richie Saunders with the No. 56 pick:

Keaton Wagler, PG/SG, Illinois
Freshman
2025-26 stats: 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists in 31 games

"Wagler's unexpected rise from off-the-radar recruit to Big Ten Freshman of the Year has given him a chance to be the second guard off the board. His positional size -- 6-foot-6 -- 3-point shooting (41%) and impeccable playmaking give him developmental upside.

Continuing to gain strength to better navigate in the paint and becoming a better defender are long-term keys as well. He is the least dynamic athlete of the guards in this group, but the blueprint is there for him to become an NBA backcourt fixture.

Atlanta will be in search of a long-term point guard after moving on from Trae Young, and can address that in this draft, even if its pick doesn't land in the top four."

Isaiah Evans, SG, Duke
Sophomore
2025-26 stats: 14.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists in 31 games

"Evans continues to display an NBA-friendly skill set as a gifted movement shooter with good positional size (6-6) on the wing.

He's been an important secondary scorer, providing spacing off Cameron Boozer, and will have more opportunities to show his shot-making chops on a huge stage in March. There's room for him to rise in a first round that's shaping up as somewhat light on wings.

Via swaps, the Hawks owe their own first to the Spurs but will wind up with the better of Cleveland's and San Antonio's picks."

Would these players fit?

This would be a nice haul for the Hawks.

There are questions about Wagler's athleticism, but there is no doubt that he is one of the elite scorers in the country and the Hawks have a hole at the guard spot.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker has had a career season and Dyson Daniels is still one of the most underrated guards in the NBA who has grown offensively, despite the lack of a reliable three point shot, but the Hawks could use a lead guard for this team in the post Trae Young era. Wagler would fit that description.

Atlanta is a solid three point shooting team, but adding a three-and-d player like Evans is the exact kind of player that they need to help round out the team. Saunders is also an elite shooter, though he is not the defender Evans is.

Overall, the Hawks have a solid young core right now with Jalen Johnson, Daniels, Alexander-Walker, and Onyeka Okongwu, but if they could add top talent in this draft, the future will be even brighter.