The Hawks’ 2027 first-rounder from the Bucks-Pelicans swap is starting to look a lot more valuable than anyone probably expected when Atlanta landed it in the Dejounte Murray deal back in 2024.
At the time, getting the worse of Milwaukee’s and New Orleans’ 2027 picks didn’t feel like much of a jackpot. New Orleans seemed to be assembling a group around Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray, while Milwaukee was still riding the glow of its 2021 NBA Title. That’s changed in a hurry, and the pick Atlanta owns has climbed sharply in value.
Milwaukee’s offseason turned into the kind of reset that changes the math on draft assets. The Bucks traded Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, and when Shams reported it, the reaction around the league felt less like shock and more like relief after a long stretch of rumors and false leads. Milwaukee got back a package that included Kasparas Jakucionis, Nate Ament, Kel'el Ware, draft picks, and Tyler Herro, who could be moved again for another haul of picks this February or sooner.
Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks look headed for another rough finish near the bottom of the East. For Atlanta, that part matters because Milwaukee now owns the better of its own pick and New Orleans’ pick.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, have done almost nothing to change the picture on their side.
That’s what makes this so appealing for the Hawks. New Orleans is coming off a 26-56 season, but instead of shaking up the roster, Joe Dumars’ front office has chosen to run it back with the same group. The Pelicans still have Trey Murphy, Herb Jones and Zion Williamson on the books, and they haven’t moved any of those depreciating assets.
There’s also the matter of the draft pick New Orleans already lost. Atlanta took the Pelicans’ 2026 NBA Draft pick last year in the Queen-Newell-Flemings deal, so the Pels are already operating without that safety net.
And then there’s the DeAndre Jordan extension, which the source says was handled in a way that cost the organization up to $3M in exceptions. The deal was a veteran minimum 2-year extension instead of a 1+1, and that left value on the table.
Put it all together, and a pick that once looked like it might settle in the late lottery or even the mid-20s of the 2027 NBA Draft now has a real chance to land much higher. For the Hawks, that’s the kind of asset that can change shape fast when two franchises go in opposite directions.
In Other News...
Hawks May Have Found Another Hidden Roster Value Piece
The Hawks have added another player to their mix of low-risk roster bets, bringing in Jalen Wilson on a two-way contract that will let him bounce between Atlanta and the College Park Skyhawks. It is the kind of move the organization has leaned on before, using the two-way slot to keep a developmental piece close while still giving him a real runway to contribute.
Wilson arrives with three seasons of NBA experience in Brooklyn and a scoring profile that suggests he can help in stretches if the fit is right. Atlanta has also shown a willingness to turn two-way opportunities into something more substantial, so the interesting part now is whether Wilson can carve out enough of a foothold to put himself in that conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Lu Dort Trade Signals Hawks Are Building Something Dangerous
The Hawks spent part of the offseason adding two Canadian guards in Lu Dort and Ryan Nembhard, a move that says plenty about where the front office thinks this roster is headed. Dort arrives from Oklahoma City with the kind of defensive edge Atlanta has been trying to sharpen, while Nembhard comes over from Dallas as another piece in a broader effort to deepen the group for the 2026-27 season.
It is also a reminder of how close Atlanta was to a better spring and how far it still has to go. The Hawks finished tied with Toronto, only to lose the tiebreaker and land behind the Raptors in the playoff bracket, then saw their season end with a brutal Game 6 home loss to the Knicks. If the new additions fit the way Atlanta hopes, the next version of this team could look a lot harder to deal with. [Read more 🡒]