The Hawks won the NBA Draft Lottery Sunday and earned the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, set to take place on June 26 and June 27.
They had strong odds (65.9%) of landing the 10th pick after they finished the regular season 36-46, then lost their matchup against the Bulls in their first Play-In Tournament game. They had only a 3% chance of winning the first overall pick and a 13.9% chance of landing in the top four.
Hawks’ general manager Landry Fields represented the Hawks on the stage of the Lottery. He cracked a smile when NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum announced that the Jazz received the 10th pick. The Jazz dropped two spots in the lottery, which opened up the Hawks odds of moving into the top four.
“I was shocked,” Fields told reporters in Chicago in audio provided by the team. “If you look at the percentages, and when I first saw that it wasn’t between 10 and 12, that launched us into the top four. So I was like, ‘Alright, we got a real shot at this thing.’ So, a bit of surprise, but a lot of excitement.”
The Hawks’ nine-spot jump from 10th to the first overall pick in this year’s lottery is the largest that they have had. Before Sunday, the most spots the Hawks have moved up in the lottery was two.
The biggest jump in lottery history occurred at the 1993 lottery. The Magic had only a 1.5% chance at the No. 1 pick, but leapfrogged 10 other teams. They selected Chris Webber.
The Hawks have never won the lottery since its inception in 1985. They’ve had a couple of No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft who instead opted to play in the ABA before the two leagues merged in 1976. The last was in 1975 when they selected David Thompson, who opted for the ABA.
In winning the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft, the Hawks have some added flexibility as they ponder their future.
They could keep the pick and use it to add some depth in the front court with at least three big men projected to go in the first three picks. The Hawks dealt with several injuries among their forwards and centers and needed to plug holes with some of their smaller wings into the rotation.
The Hawks could also try to package their pick into a deal to recoup some of their picks for future drafts. This year’s NBA Draft class has not come highly touted by draft experts. But Fields told reporters in Chicago that he still thought that this class could still provide a talent that could come in and help the team.
“I think absolutely,” he said. “I think that we’re seeing across this early on right now. I mean, there’s a lot of guys. I think it’s a lot of fun to so many different types of guys. So many different variations. We’ll look at it. We’ll dive deep and see what comes in June.”
Though Fields said in his media availability with local media on Sunday evening that a potential trade was not on the team’s radar or a focus at the moment.
“Not even our focus right now,” he said via Zoom. “This is a point in time where the opportunity that’s before us is an excellent opportunity. Positioning is key in this business, and that position we have right now is the number one position. So we’ll just keep doing what we do, gather as a group and we’ll figure this thing out in time.”
This year’s NBA Draft is the 78th and the league has expanded it to a two-night event. The first round will take place on Wednesday, June 26 at the Barclays Center, with the second round will be held at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios on Thursday, June 27.
The first round will continue to have five minutes between draft picks and the second round will increase to four minutes from two minutes.
The Hawks will do deep dives into their draft process and that the team does not feel pressure when it comes to making their pick next month.
“I look at it frankly as an opportunity and our group does as well,” Fields said. “These are the positions that you want to be in. I’m constantly preaching and stressing to our group, positioning is what you can control as best you can, and you let the results fall where they may. But to say ‘it’s pressure or challenges’ like this is an opportunity. This is great for our franchise and is a terrific moment for us.”
About the Author
