{"id":146606,"date":"2025-06-24T14:43:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T18:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=146606"},"modified":"2025-06-24T14:43:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T18:43:09","slug":"2025-nba-draft-hawks-top-5-pick-center-target","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/06\/24\/2025-nba-draft-hawks-top-5-pick-center-target\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 NBA Draft: Hawks Want Top-5 Trade For Center Target"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Atlanta Hawks will have two first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, slated at No. 13 and No. 22 overall. In that range, they may not be looking at prospects who scream perennial All-Star. Nonetheless, there should be several rotation-level players that could prove valuable. With that in mind, one of the Oklahoma City Thunder&#8217;s greatest strengths during their title season was their depth.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is that after missing the playoffs for two straight years, the Hawks probably need a little more help than that. As a result, moving up in the draft is a more appealing option.<\/p>\n<h2>Hawks Want Top-5 Draft Pick Trade For Center Target<\/h2>\n<p>League sources say the Hawks &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/nba\/article\/nba-mock-draft-50-its-draft-week-heres-how-every-pick-in-the-first-round-could-go-based-on-the-latest-intel-210500038.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">are looking to move way up<\/a> from this pick and have called teams drafting in the top five,&#8221; reports Yahoo Sports analyst Kevin O&#8217;Connor. &#8220;They are targeting a center.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146618\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146618\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-146618\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25790509_168404789_lowres-300x204.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25790509_168404789_lowres-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25790509_168404789_lowres-1024x697.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25790509_168404789_lowres-768x523.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25790509_168404789_lowres-1536x1046.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25790509_168404789_lowres.jpg 2037w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146618\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mar 27, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Derik Queen (25) attempts a basket against Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) in the second half during a West Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Among the center prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft, there are two that quickly come to mind when considering who the Hawks could be targeting.<\/p>\n<h3>Khaman Maluach<\/h3>\n<p>The highest-ranked center in the draft class is Duke freshman Khaman Maluach, who might remind Atlanta of the late and great <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mutomdi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dikembe Mutombo<\/a>. At 7-foot-1 and 253 pounds, he certainly provides the size and length Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh has discussed as a priority. He&#8217;s also far from the standard rookie, as he&#8217;ll enter the NBA with not just collegiate (NCAA) experience, but professional (Basketball Africa League) and international (South Sudan national team) experience as well.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Asked Hawks GM Onsi Saleh about the importance of adding size to this team through the draft and free agency <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hlV5YyvbZT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/hlV5YyvbZT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Caleb Johnson (@ATLjohnson18) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ATLjohnson18\/status\/1937235609065783400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Maluach is the type of rim-protector that can act as a safety net should a teammate get beat. He&#8217;s also capable of guarding out in space, which is incredibly important at the NBA level. Both of these traits make him an ideal partner for the rather diminutive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngtr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trae Young<\/a> at the defensive end, particularly in the pick-and-roll.<\/p>\n<p>Offensively, he should have great chemistry with Young too though. A truly elite passer, Young has quite a knack for not breaking down defenses and hitting an open man.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, it won&#8217;t just be the Young &amp; Maluach Show.<\/p>\n<p>Among the starters, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Johnson <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/daniedy01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dyson Daniels<\/a> are two others that Maluach could play off of regularly. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/risacza01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zaccharie Risacher<\/a> may not have the numbers to show it but he also makes shrewd decisions with the ball in his hands. Maluach could even form a high-low game with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okongon01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Onyeka Okongwu<\/a>, a solid passer for a big man. In the second unit, In the second unit, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/krejcvi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vit Krejci<\/a> has emerged as an astute playmaker.<\/p>\n<h3>Derik Queen<\/h3>\n<p>The Hawks could turn to Maryland&#8217;s Derik Queen. Indeed, Queen has <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/15\/maryland-derik-queen-names-5-teams-interviewed\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">already conducted an interview<\/a> with Atlanta, revealing their interest during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine.<\/p>\n<p>In some ways the antithesis of Maluach, Queen is already an insanely gifted scorer at the offensive end. Jumpers, sweeping hooks, spinning drives; you name it, and he can do it. He&#8217;s also a fascinating facilitator, his basketball IQ and passing versatility standing out on film.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Derik Queen&#8217;s footwork is ELITE, look at his counters man <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JQimipctcK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/JQimipctcK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mo (@Mo___Wrld) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mo___Wrld\/status\/1922676076880293926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 14, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>His detractors cite concerns about his athleticism but that shouldn&#8217;t prevent him from being dominant.\u00a0 Truly, nobody will claim that Denver Nuggets center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a>, Houston Rockets center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sengual01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alperen Sengun<\/a> or Sacramento Kings center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sabondo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Domantas Sabonis<\/a> have ideal physical attributes. If a team believes that he has the potential of any of those three players, the fact he doesn&#8217;t look like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chambwi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wilt Chamberlain<\/a> shouldn&#8217;t matter.<\/p>\n<p>(Furthermore, though he doesn&#8217;t look like he&#8217;ll be winning a Defensive Player of the Year Award any time soon, Queen&#8217;s already solid in terms of timing and hand placement with regard to his rim-protection.)<\/p>\n<p>All in all, Queen improving his conditioning and shedding his baby fat would likely help take his game to the next level. However, that doesn&#8217;t mean he isn&#8217;t good enough without having done so.<\/p>\n<div class=\"modal-image-setImageMetadata\">\n<p class=\"ng-binding\">\u00a9 David Banks-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Atlanta Hawks will have two first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, slated at No. 13 and No. 22 overall. In that range, they may not be looking at prospects who scream perennial All-Star. Nonetheless, there should be several rotation-level players that could prove valuable. With that in mind, one of the Oklahoma City [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":146628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1608,62,556,3],"tags":[49871,49403,98,4774,1349],"class_list":["post-146606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-nba","category-nba-draft","category-news","tag-derik-queen","tag-khaman-maluach","tag-nba-draft","tag-rumors","tag-trae-young"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146606"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146629,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146606\/revisions\/146629"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}