Landry Fields: ‘I was shocked’ Hawks got No. 1 pick
The Atlanta Hawks won the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, and general manager Landry Fields shared his sentiments regarding the surprising development.
“I was shocked,” Fields said, according to Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If you look at the percentages, and when I first saw that it wasn’t between 10 and 12, that launched us into the top four. So I was like, ‘Alright, we got a real shot at this thing.’ So, a bit of surprise, but a lot of excitement.”
The Hawks, who owned the 10th-best odds entering Sunday, had a 13.9 percent chance at netting a top-4 pick and a three percent chance at snagging the No. 1 pick. They leaped the Detroit Pistons–who own the No. 5 pick for the second straight year after finishing with the NBA’s worst record (again)–Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs, among others.
There is not a current consensus No. 1 selection, per se, but French 7-foot-1 big Alexandre Sarr–who’s currently playing for Perth in the Australian basketball league–is the closest to it. Sarr is arguably the best defensive prospect in the 2024 class, and could theoretically fit well with Atlanta, who had a bottom-5 defense last season.
As is the case with every team who secures the No. 1 pick, Atlanta, a play-in team in 2023-24, could elect to trade the pick and stack assets. But Fields dismissed that notion, saying that’s not “our focus right now.”
“This is a point in time where the opportunity that’s before us is an excellent opportunity,” he said, according to Williams. “Positioning is key in this business, and that position we have right now is the number one position. So we’ll just keep doing what we do, gather as a group and we’ll figure this thing out in time.”
This marks only the second time Atlanta had a top-5 selection since 2007–the other time being in 2018, when it selected-and-traded Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks (No. 5) in exchange for Trae Young. Its last five first-round picks since (that it has kept post-draft night) are Cam Reddish, Onyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson, AJ Griffin and Kobe Bufkin, respectively.
The Hawks have flexibility. They can trade the No. 1 pick or grab Sarr to pair with at least one of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young while moving off of Clint Capela. The second apron incentivizes teams to build more through the draft, and they are in prime position to do just that.
“It’s how you build teams,” Fields said, according to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov. “You build through the draft, and to have an opportunity to swing as high as we are this year, that’s a really good thing.”
“I look at it frankly as an opportunity and our group does as well,” Fields said, according to Williams. “These are the positions that you want to be in. I’m constantly preaching and stressing to our group, positioning is what you can control as best you can, and you let the results fall where they may. But to say ‘it’s pressure or challenges’ like this is an opportunity. This is great for our franchise and is a terrific moment for us.”
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