The Atlanta Hawks are operating with two first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft — one acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 8 and one acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 23 — and CBS Sports projects Atlanta leaving the lottery with Kingston Flemings and Dailyn Swain. It is a two-pick haul that addresses both backcourt depth and wing versatility in one draft, and sets the foundation for what the Hawks want to become in the post-Trae Young era.

At No. 8, CBS has Atlanta selecting Flemings — the Houston freshman who averaged 16.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists while shooting 38.7% from three. Flemings is an elite mid-range shooter and one of the most determined defensive players in this class at the guard position. His combination of speed, scoring touch, and on-ball pressure gives Atlanta the kind of backcourt tone-setter who can play off Jalen Johnson while also initiating half-court offense in stretches. Flemings lit up the shooting drills at the NBA Draft Combine, further reinforcing confidence in his perimeter reliability at the next level.

The opportunity cost at No. 8 is Aday Mara — the 7-foot-3 Michigan junior who shot-blocks at an elite rate and anchored the Wolverines’ national championship defense. Oklahoma City ends up with Mara just one pick later in the CBS mock. Atlanta passing on Mara for Flemings is a deliberate choice of guard upside and versatility over interior dominance. The Hawks already have Onyeka Okongwu as a rim-protecting center, which reduces the positional urgency at the five spot.

At No. 23 (the Cleveland pick), CBS gives Atlanta Dailyn Swain — the Texas junior CBS describes as an elite isolation scorer and a multi-positional defender with real activity on the glass. Swain averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists at Texas, and his three-point shooting is the one legitimate question mark in an otherwise well-rounded profile. A Flemings-Swain pairing in the same draft class gives Atlanta two high-energy, defensively committed wings taken in a single night — exactly the type of roster-building efficiency a team in transition needs.

Outlet	Projected Player (Pick 8)
CBS Sports	Kingston Flemings
Bleacher Report	Kingston Flemings
Tankathon	Kingston Flemings
Yahoo Sports	Mikel Brown Jr.

Atlanta’s situation following the Trae Young trade gives this draft new meaning for the franchise. The Hawks are rebuilding around Jalen Johnson as their centerpiece, and whoever Atlanta takes at No. 8 needs to be the type of guard who operates alongside a dominant ball-handler rather than competes with one. Flemings’ ability to score without self-creation, defend with intensity, and space the floor makes him an ideal complement to Johnson’s style of play. He is not trying to steal possessions from the star — he is enhancing every possession the star creates.

Landing Swain at No. 23 — a player with the talent profile of a top-15 prospect — gives Atlanta a potential steal deep in the lottery. His three-point shooting needs to develop, but his isolation efficiency, rebounding activity, and defensive versatility are day-one NBA contributions. Atlanta building around Johnson, Flemings, and Swain gives the franchise a specific identity — long, athletic, defensively committed wings — that is sustainable and competitive in the modern NBA. This is a draft night that defines what the Hawks’ rebuild actually looks like going forward.