It's not often a team is considered a "winner" in a draft after trading out of a lottery pick, but that's exactly the reaction to Onsi Saleh's first draft as General Manager of the Hawks after picking up an unprotected pick in next year's NBA Draft. And better yet, the Saleh didn't even have to give up a Hawks first-round selection completely. The Hawks only moved down 10 spots in last night's draft to add the 2026 pick, and walked away with former Georgia Bulldog star Asa Newell -- considered a great value at No. 23 overall.
The Hawks will wind up with either the Milwaukee Bucks or New Orleans Pelicans first round pick -- whichever one of the two is the better one and completely unprotected. Yes, that means if one of those picks is in the lottery (which seems likely) the Hawks could potentially be drafting in the top 10 or better.
The move comes on the heels of Saleh adding an impact big in Kristaps Porzingis to the roster while only giving up role players Terance Mann and Georges Niang in return. The shrewd moves are sure to inspire confidence among Hawks fans in Saleh, who was appointed to the GM position just over two months ago on April 21.
The Hawks remain positioned to add another high-quality player to the roster with a significant traded player exception waiting to be used. It all adds up for a Hawks team that is unleashed and ready to play to win as much as possible, while maintaining pieces to continue to build into the future.