nickeil alexander-walker and Dyson Daniels have given the Atlanta Hawks length and defensive cover, and the Hawks are positioned to receive a Top 10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft via a swap with the New Orleans Pelicans (confirmed).
CJ McCollum, who has stepped into the Hawks' backcourt playmaking off the bench and will turn 35 years old before next season, is the named individual navigating this transitional rotation for Atlanta (confirmed).
Pelicans-Bucks 2026 Pick Swap
The Hawks traded down from 13 to 23 in the 2025 NBA Draft to pick up an unprotected pick swap from the New Orleans Pelicans that involved the Milwaukee Bucks, giving Atlanta the right to choose whichever 2026 first-round pick between the Pelicans and the Bucks was more favorable to them (confirmed).
Joe Dumars is identified as part of the trade context that left Atlanta holding that Pelicans-Bucks swap (confirmed). The New Orleans Pelicans were officially eliminated from the postseason on Tuesday and the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated on Saturday, and as of Sunday morning the Pelicans tentatively owned the seven worst record while the Bucks tentatively owned the 10th worst record (confirmed).
Both the Pelicans and the Bucks carried just over a 40% chance of jumping into the top four on lottery day, May 10, which is the specific mechanism that could convert those records into a Top 10 slot for Atlanta (confirmed).
Hawks Backcourt: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels
Trae Young is not playing this season, and Atlanta has leaned into length and defense in the backcourt with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels on the floor together (confirmed).
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CJ McCollum has filled the Hawks' backcourt playmaking role off the bench while the team searches for a long-term on-ball creator; that lack of a clear long-term Trae Young replacement explains why a Top 10 2026 pick carries concrete roster value for the Hawks (confirmed).
Draft Math: Spurs Cavaliers Celtics
The Hawks acquired first-round pick-swap rights to the San Antonio Spurs in 2022 as part of the Dejounte Murray trade, and that Spurs swap remains another path that could alter Atlanta's 2026 position (confirmed).
If Atlanta makes the playoffs or the Play-In Tournament, the Spurs cannot get any higher than the 15th overall pick; with the Hawks occupying the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference, the Spurs pick would land at 19th overall under that scenario (confirmed).
Atlanta later flipped the least favorable pick-swap outcome to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the De'Andre Hunter deal, and as of Sunday morning the Cavaliers' record would give the Hawks the 23rd overall pick under that chain of swaps (confirmed). The Hawks also acquired a 2026 second-round pick during 2025 draft week in the Kristaps Porzingis trade by sending out Terance Mann and Georges Niang, with the Celtics' side currently projected at 57th overall (confirmed).
Pelicans movement into the top four on lottery day, May 10, would deliver a Top 10 pick to Atlanta; a failure by the Pelicans or a Bucks leap into the top four would instead leave the Hawks relying on the alternative swap path that projects to 23rd overall (confirmed). Which team climbs into the top four on May 10 — the Pelicans or the Bucks — will decide whether the Hawks convert this chain of deals into a Top 10 2026 pick or settle for the 23rd overall outcome already baked into other swaps (confirmed).
