Atlanta Hawks best improbable odds to win NBA's draft lottery - ESPN

CHICAGO — The Atlanta Hawks rocketed up the board to grab the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft, winning the lottery for the first time in franchise history.

The Hawks, 36-46 this season for a 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference, had just a 3% chance to win the lottery, the fifth-lowest odds by a team to win the No. 1 pick since the lottery began in 1985.

The Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs rounded out the top four. The Detroit Pistons, owners of the league's worst record this year, fell to No. 5. It's the second consecutive season the Pistons have had the worst record but fell to the fifth pick.

The Rockets, 41-41 this season, moved up six spots to get into the top three. Washington and Detroit had the best chances to land the top pick at 14%.

The draft is June 26-27 in Brooklyn.

Atlanta jumped from the No.10 position before the draft to the top overall selection, besting improbable odds. It's the first time since 1975 the Hawks will select No. 1 overall.

«It was a shock,» Hawks GM Landry Fields said following the Lottery on Sunday. «You look at the percentages, but when I first saw it wasn't us between 10 and 12 that launched us into the top 4, so I was like alright we got a real shot at this thing. Bit of a surprise, but a lot of excitement.»

The Hawks haven't won a postseason series since a surprising run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021. They got knocked out in the first round in 2022 and 2023 and didn't advance past the play-in tournament this season.

Atlanta has some big decisions to make this offseason, including whether to break up its backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Now Fields will have to decide how to utilize the No.1 overall pick.

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