ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The Atlanta Hawks will have the No. 23 pick in the 2026 NBA draft after losing multiple tiebreakers in random drawings Monday.
The random drawings were held to break six ties among teams with identical records. The 46-36 Hawks lost their tiebreaker against the Toronto Raptors, which would have given the Hawks the 20th pick, but the Hawks sent that pick to San Antonio as part of the trade that brought Dejounte Murray to Atlanta.
Instead, the tiebreaker relevant to the Hawks was between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets, who both finished the regular season 52-30. The Hawks acquired Cleveland’s pick in the trade that sent De’Andre Hunter to the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers lost the tiebreaker, giving the Hawks pick No. 23.
The Hawks will also have a lottery pick in the upcoming draft. The Hawks traded the No. 13 pick in last year’s draft to the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 23 pick in that draft and an unprotected first‑round pick this year.
This year’s pick will be the more favorable of the two picks held by the Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Pelicans currently have a 6.8 percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick. The Bucks have a 3 percent chance.
The NBA draft lottery will be held May 10.
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.