The Atlanta Hawks rocketed up the board to seize the No. 1 decide on this yr’s NBA draft, profitable the lottery for the primary time in franchise historical past.
The Hawks, 36-46 this season for a tenth place end within the Jap Convention, had only a 3% likelihood to win the lottery, the fifth-lowest odds by a workforce to win the No. 1 decide because the lottery started in 1985.
The Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs rounded out the highest 4. The Detroit Pistons, homeowners of the league’s worst report this yr, fell to No. 5. The Rockets, 41-41 this season, moved up six spots to get into the highest three.
The draft is June 26-27 in Brooklyn.
The Hawks have not gained a postseason sequence since a shocking run to the Jap Convention finals in 2021. They received knocked out within the first spherical in 2022 and 2023 and did not advance previous the play-in event this season.
Atlanta has some huge choices to make this offseason, together with whether or not to interrupt up its backcourt of Trae Younger and Dejounte Murray. Basic supervisor Landry Fields can construct with the No. 1 decide. French wing Zaccharie Risacher is the very best ranked prospect per ESPN’s most up-to-date huge board, nevertheless this yr’s class has been outlined to date by its lack of a consensus No. 1 decide.
Washington and Detroit had the most effective possibilities to land the highest decide at 14%.
The Charlotte Hornets and Portland Path Blazers had the third and fourth-best odds for the No. 1 decide however ended up sixth and seventh, respectively. The Spurs have one other decide at No. 8, which they acquired from the Toronto Raptors within the Jakob Poeltl commerce. The Memphis Grizzlies, hoping to bounce again subsequent yr with a completely wholesome roster, have the No. 9 decide.
The Utah Jazz at No. 10, the Chicago Bulls at No. 11, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder at No. 12, the Sacramento Kings at No. 13 and the Blazers at No. 14 spherical out the lottery.
San Antonio landed a generational participant final yr in Victor Wembanyama. The franchise that beforehand took David Robinson and Tim Duncan with the No. 1 total decide received its subsequent nice huge man, and all of the Frenchman did was flip in among the finest rookie seasons in NBA historical past.
The No. 1 decide might as soon as once more come from France, whether or not it is heart Alex Sarr or Risacher, however that is removed from a certainty. Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham are each anticipated to be off the board throughout the first few picks.
The Related Press and ESPN Stats & Info analysis contributed to this story.
