The decision by New Orleans to trade the Atlanta Hawks their unprotected 2026 first-round pick just to move up a few spots in this year’s NBA draft continues to be one of the most peculiar moves in recent memory.
At no point did anyone outside of New Orleans believe the Pelicans were a move or two away from competing for a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. At best — if everything broke perfectly — they looked like a play-in contender. At worst, well… exactly what they’ve been through 21 games: a 3–18 team with the worst record in the NBA.
It’s an almost unfathomable miscalculation, especially when some evaluators are calling the upcoming draft class potentially historic.
“The team with the worst record is guaranteed a top-five pick,” Kevin O’Connor writes for Yahoo! Sports. “The second-worst record is guaranteed a top-six pick. The third-worst record is guaranteed a top-seven pick. And right now, the Wizards, Pacers, and Nets are winning that race, each with 1-10 records. Finishing with the fifth, sixth or seventh pick might seem unappealing in most draft classes. But this 2026 draft class is quite different. It could be historic.
“All the attention is on Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU wing AJ Dybantsa and Duke power forward Cam Boozer, but this draft class is about more than them. Players like North Carolina power forward Caleb Wilson, Tennessee wing Nate Ament and Louisville guard Mikel Brown could push for the top 3. Meaning, there are at least six players who a team would happily draft with a top-two or -three pick in almost any other year. It is undoubtedly the best class since the NBA flattened the odds in 2019 to actually lose on lottery night.”
The odds in the NBA Draft Lottery are pretty dispersed among the teams that miss the playoffs, so even if the Pelicans finish with the worst record in the league, the Hawks would “only” have a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick. However, they would be guaranteed a top-five selection, and in next year’s loaded draft class, that gives Atlanta a real shot at landing a franchise-altering piece to add to an already strong young core.
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Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
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