The Atlanta Hawks have made their first selection in the 2025 NBA Draft and although it came later than expected, they stayed local and got Georgia F Asa Newell with the 23rd overall pick.
They got things started yesterday by trading for Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis. From both a basketball and salary cap perspective, this makes a ton of sense on both sides. Porzingis should be a fantastic fit in Atlanta – he can play alongside Onyeka Okongwu in a double-big lineup or play PF in case Jalen Johnson gets injured. While Okongwu is a bit undersized, there’s no question that adding a true seven-footer in Porzingis should be able to mitigate any rim protection issues the Hawks have. A frontcourt of Jalen Johnson, Porzingis and Okongwu is one of the best in basketball and they can also bring Zaccharie Risacher off the bench. Porzingis shot 41.2% from deep this season on 6.2 attempts per game while being an excellent rim protector. He finished this season with a block percentage of 4.8%, which was above known shot-blockers like Myles Turner and Rudy Gobert.
Porzingis at his best gives them needed floor spacing, interior size, and versatility. Over the past year, Atlanta has wanted to get bigger around Trae Young and put the kind of team around him to succeed. Porzingis can do that. He could play the four and Atlanta could have a big lineup of Young, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Porzingis, and Onyeka Okongwu. As a result of acquiring him, the Hawks ceded the 22nd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
While the first seven picks of the draft proceeded in an uneventful fashion, the Brooklyn Nets pulled off the first surprise of the night by selecting Egor Demin with the 8th overall pick. Demin was thought to be avalaible at the Hawks’ selection at #13, but that allowed for front court pieces like Duke center Khaman Maluach, South Carolina forward Colin Murray-Boyles and Maryland center Derik Queen to be avalaible later in the draft. However, Murray-Boyles went to Toronto with the ninth overall pick and Maluach went immediately after him to the Suns.
The Trail Blazers then made a surprising pick to move back in the draft as the Memphis Grizzlies came up for Washington State wing Cedric Coward. That kept Arizona wing Carter Bryant in play for Atlanta, as well as Queen, Georgetown center Thomas Sorber and Ratiopharm Ulm forward Noa Essengue as options for the Hawks. However, Atlanta decided to trade back with the New Orleans Pelicans as they came up for Queen. In return, they got the No. 23 pick and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick that will be the most favorable of New Orleans and Milwaukee. That’s a very interesting trade for the Hawks as the Pelicans could easily be a lottery team next season. Atlanta will have to swap picks with the Spurs, but this gives them more future draft capital while keeping themselves in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. In short, they very plausibily could have gotten a lottery pick for next season despite swapping their pick with San Antonio and they are poised to have two first-round selections for the second straight season.
The Atlanta Hawks are trading the No. 13 pick in the Draft to the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 23 pick and an unprotected 2026 first round pick (most favorable of New Orleans and Milwaukee), sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 26, 2025
While the Hawks technically selected UNC wing Drake Powell, he is expected to go to Brooklyn as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade. They opted to take Newell out of Georgia and he is a very interesting fit for the Hawks.
Here is a snapshot profile of Newell from Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman:
Age: 19
Nationality: USA
Pro Comparisons: Jalen Smith, Brandon Clarke, Jonathan Isaac
“Asa Newell had a typical game for himself against Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament, finishing with 20 points and eight boards off a mix of one-handers and timely athletic finishes.
He just doesn’t have the skill set to carry an offense for stretches, and the shooting has been unreliable.
The Hawks did need to add more frontcourt depth and Newell is a talented defender with tons of length. He’s capable as either a help defender or isolation defender and should instantly be able to step in as a backup 4 to take on challenging defensive assignments. A former five-star recruit out of Montverde Academy, he brings tons of pedigree. The Hawks definitely needed to add some depth at either PF or the wing spot – Newell should be able to instantly fill that need at PF for the Hawks. It reduces the need to play Kristaps Porzingis big minutes and also gives them some injury insurance for Jalen Johnson.
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