The Atlanta Hawks enter the 2026 NBA Draft holding two first-round selections, and Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley projects them to use both to transform their backcourt and frontcourt simultaneously: Houston guard Kingston Flemings at No. 8 via the New Orleans Pelicans pick, and Mega center Luigi Suigo at No. 23 via the Cleveland Cavaliers pick. The two selections together represent the most complete draft class of any team in this mock.

Flemings fills an immediate, obvious need. CJ McCollum is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and turns 35 next season; Atlanta needs a younger backcourt piece who can operate alongside All-Star wing Jalen Johnson. Flemings is a blur with the basketball, a surgical mid-range scorer, and a determined defender whose 6-foot-3 frame and 6-4 wingspan raise questions — but whose motor and feel compensate for what his measurements lack. He lit up the shooting drills at the Draft Combine, and if his three-point volume increases to match his accuracy, his off-ball utility rises dramatically.

The player selected immediately after Flemings in Buckley’s mock is Dallas Mavericks guard Brayden Burries at No. 9 — a different type of guard entirely: physically built at 215 pounds, a tenacious defender, and a scoring threat who uses manipulation and physicality rather than pure speed. Atlanta’s choice of Flemings over Burries is a bet on playmaking creation over physical toughness. Given how much of Atlanta’s offense runs through Johnson’s creation, Flemings’s passing vision and off-ball cutting make him the better complement.

At No. 23, Suigo provides something Atlanta desperately lacked all season: a true center. His measurements are nearly identical to Michigan’s Aday Mara — just under 7-foot-3 with a 9-foot-6 standing reach — and his skill set blends lob-finishing, perimeter shooting, and smart ball movement in a package that would allow him to play alongside Onyeka Okongwu without creating lineup conflicts. The player taken immediately after the No. 23 slot in this mock is the New York Knicks’ Tarris Reed Jr., a bruising UConn center who brings toughness and interior finishing but lacks Suigo’s shooting and playmaking upside.

Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor projects Mikel Brown Jr. to Atlanta at the No. 8 slot and Kentucky’s Malachi Moreno at No. 23, suggesting real divergence on how the Hawks approach both positions. Tankathon projects Aday Mara to Atlanta at No. 8. CBS Sports projects outcomes that don’t align with the traded-pick structure Atlanta actually holds. The Bleacher Report and Yahoo Sports projections share the most structural alignment, even if the specific players differ.

If both picks hit, the Hawks come out of the 2026 draft with a starting-caliber guard to grow alongside Johnson and a center who stretches the floor at a position where Atlanta has been relying on Okongwu as a lone option. That’s a transformative outcome from two picks acquired through trades rather than through tank positioning.

What Other Outlets Are Projecting

Outlet	Projected Player
Bleacher Report	Kingston Flemings, PG, Houston (#8); Luigi Suigo, C, Mega (#23)
CBS Sports	Mikel Brown Jr., PG, Louisville (#8)
Tankathon	Aday Mara, C, Michigan (#8)
Yahoo Sports	Mikel Brown Jr., PG, Louisville (#8); Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky (#23)

Flemings and Suigo represent a coherent drafting philosophy: add the best playmaking guard available to support Johnson, then patch the center hole with a high-ceiling international prospect rather than a mid-round role-player. Atlanta hasn’t had a genuine stretch-five to complement its wing-heavy attack since losing Clint Capela, and Suigo’s ability to space the floor while protecting the rim gives Flemings and Johnson an entirely new offensive layer to exploit. Two picks, two cornerstones for different areas of need — that’s why this draft path is the right one for Atlanta.