ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks host the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday in Hawks vs Pelicans, a meeting that matters in the standings and on next summer’s draft board. New Orleans arrives riding an eight-game losing streak, and every additional stumble could improve the 2026 first-round pick Atlanta controls through the Pelicans, Jan. 7, 2026.
New Orleans’ skid reached eight straight after a 111-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, when the Pelicans fell apart late despite a career-high 42 points from Trey Murphy III. It’s the kind of result Atlanta can’t count on, but can’t ignore, given how directly it ties to the Hawks’ future.
Hawks vs Pelicans: the pick that turns a regular-season game into draft-night stakes
Atlanta’s potential windfall is straightforward in concept and messy in the fine print: the Hawks have rights to the more favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s 2026 first-round picks, based on a chain of prior transactions. The structure is outlined in RealGM’s future draft database, which tracks the swap language and the “better-of” outcome.
In practical terms, if the Pelicans finish with a worse record than the Bucks, Atlanta is positioned to receive the Pelicans’ pick — the “massive draft boost” scenario Hawks fans are openly tracking as New Orleans keeps dropping games. The pick is unprotected, so there’s no safety net that would block the Hawks from landing it even if it lands near the top of the lottery. (The ping-pong balls still matter: the worst record doesn’t guarantee the No. 1 pick.)
Hawks vs Pelicans: how Atlanta ended up holding New Orleans’ leverage
The pick came into the Hawks’ hands through a draft-night gamble by the Pelicans. As Sports Illustrated reported in July, New Orleans traded the No. 23 pick and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder to move up to No. 13 in the 2025 NBA Draft, a deal that allowed the Pelicans to land Derik Queen.
That move added to a longer timeline of Hawks-Pelicans entanglements. In 2024, Atlanta sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans in a package centered on players and first-round picks — part of the broader asset reshuffle that has defined both front offices’ recent decisions, according to ESPN’s report on the Murray trade.
Now, Hawks vs Pelicans carries two pressures at once: Atlanta wants a win to climb in the East, while New Orleans is trying to stop the bleeding before its season — and its draft position — slips further. For Atlanta, Hawks vs Pelicans isn’t just about the final score; it’s also about what another Pelicans loss could mean in June.
