5 Prospects Atlanta Hawks desperately need to consider in 2023 NBA Draft
There are a handful of prospects that would make a lot of sense for the Atlanta Hawks heading into the 2023 NBA Draft.
The Atlanta Hawks will be one of the teams to watch in Thursday’s NBA Draft. They currently hold the No. 15 overall pick (the first pick outside the lottery), which gives them some power. The Hawks have also been heavily linked in trade rumors surrounding the draft. The most common trade partner we’ve heard about is a deal involving the Dallas Mavericks and the No. 10 overall pick (likely involving either Clint Capela or John Collins going to Dallas). It’s also possible the Hawks elect to move backward.
Whether the Hawks stay put at 15, move up to pick No. 10, move up to a different pick, or even trade back the Hawks will land a very talented player to join their rotation. Some of what the Hawks could do in the draft will depend on what players they do move (or plan on moving). Such as if they trade Clint Capela to open up the starting spot for Onyeka Okongwu, then finding a backup center immediately jumps to the top of the needs list.
Trading DeAndre Hunter or John Collins would also open up a need at the 3 or the 4 respectively.
NBA Draft prospects the Atlanta Hawks should target
While it can be tough to gauge some potential Hawks targets since we don’t really know exactly where they will be picking, here are five players to watch for the Hawks in the draft.
SG/SF Gradey Dick (Kansas)
Gradey Dick is arguably the best shooter in the draft. This past year at Kansas he shot 40.3% from deep on 5.7 attempts per game (shot 83-for-206 from deep on the season). Overall, Dick averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on the year. He shot 44.2% from the field as a whole.
The Hawks don’t have a ton of outside shooting outside of Bogdan Bogdanovic and AJ Griffin, so Dick should help them a lot on offense from deep. Playing alongside Trae Young and Dejounte Murray should also give Dick a lot of open looks from deep, which should help him excel in that role even more.
Even with his 3-point shooting prowess, that is not all Dick brings to the table. He is a strong off-ball weapon who finishes well at the rim. He also has good size at 6’8 which aids his shooting ability (to shoot shorter defenders). His size also keeps him from being as much of a liability on defense as most 3-point shooting specialists are. Dick has received some comps to a player like Cam Johnson.
It will be interesting to see where Dick goes in the draft. The Hawks might feel they have to move up to No. 10 to get him, but there’s also a chance he falls to No. 15 (although I do personally think he goes in the lottery). Overall, I think Dick would be a great fit playing off-ball for the Hawks alongside Young and Murray.