NBA Draft Lottery went how it was "supposed" to go for the Atlanta Hawks, even if few other teams can say the same. The Hawks emerged with the No. 13 o

We think of the NBA Draft Lottery, first and foremost, as a way for the league's poor and downtrodden franchises to replenish their ranks and take the first steps toward meaningful winning years down the line.

Well, the NBA Draft Lottery gods have a sense of humor. So much for the idea of Cooper Flagg going to a 20-win team. Instead, a statistically improbable Dallas Mavericks-San Antonio Spurs-Philadelphia 76ers-Charlotte Hornets top four upended all our previous assumptions about what might happen in the lead-up to the NBA Draft.

Of course, the Kings sent their protected 2025 first-round pick to the Hawks in the trade that landed them Kevin Huerter in 2022, a trade that did not work out well for Sacramento. Because of this, the Kings will not have a first-round pick in next month’s draft but they do hold the Spurs’ second-round pick due to the Fox trade earlier this year.