Atlanta Hawks 2025 Draft Pick Watch

[baseline bum]

My fear is that with all the new, non-local financial partners in the Spurs, they run the organization according to a strict profit & loss business model, where winning les isn't necessarily the way to optimize profit.

Back in the good times, the Spurs were backed by strong local companies like Valero who didn't need the Spurs to turn a profit, they were just supporting the local team. But now we have Sixth Street Partners, Dell, the co-founder of AirBnB is now an investor, etc. These folks don't give a about San Antonio - this is just an investment for them. I saw Kimberly Lewis from KSL joined the ownership group... that might be one of the better additions that keeps them grounded to San Antonio. I have no clue if Valero still has their ownership stake.

It would be nice to actually get to know Peter Holt Jr. What's been his role other than show up for the Wemby lottery draw? Maybe he's savvy AF. Or maybe he's a complete failson. Who knows.

McCombs goes to show you local doesn't necessarily mean good either though. Ugh hate seeing private equity parasites owning so much of the team.

[exstatic]

Man, do I feel you. I'm in exactly the same position, I really would like to see the Kings succeed. My friend has been a basketball fan since the Sabonis (father!) days, and pretty much stuck to the Kings since their inception... Nothing but pain to show for it.

Hearing some of their stories really, really puts into perspective how ing spoiled we Spurs fans are. Any Kings fan would give an arm and a leg for a le run like 2014... And here we are, 10 years later, with another generational prospect falling into our laps, while their star player demands out of their team to come play in San Antonio.

I can't be mad at even the most vitriolic of their fans. That level of mediocrity can break just about anybody. I also remember my friend being devastated about the Haliburton trade ("another ing Kings move setting us back a decade!!"). I don't know what he makes of the trade now, but it's gotta be such a ty feeling to consistently expect the absolute worst out of your team's FO, and be proven right time and time again. Oh, and the Luka fiasco......... Jesus.

People ing about PATFO really have no idea how bad it can be. I know it sounds apologist or whatever, but you really gotta appreciate a stable front office and having a direction as a franchise. We take that for granted.

You’ve just summed up Spurstalk, in a nuts .

[scott]

Man, do I feel you. I'm in exactly the same position, I really would like to see the Kings succeed. My friend has been a basketball fan since the Sabonis (father!) days, and pretty much stuck to the Kings since their inception... Nothing but pain to show for it.

Hearing some of their stories really, really puts into perspective how ing spoiled we Spurs fans are. Any Kings fan would give an arm and a leg for a le run like 2014... And here we are, 10 years later, with another generational prospect falling into our laps, while their star player demands out of their team to come play in San Antonio.

I can't be mad at even the most vitriolic of their fans. That level of mediocrity can break just about anybody. I also remember my friend being devastated about the Haliburton trade ("another ing Kings move setting us back a decade!!"). I don't know what he makes of the trade now, but it's gotta be such a ty feeling to consistently expect the absolute worst out of your team's FO, and be proven right time and time again. Oh, and the Luka fiasco......... Jesus.

People ing about PATFO really have no idea how bad it can be. I know it sounds apologist or whatever, but you really gotta appreciate a stable front office and having a direction as a franchise. We take that for granted.

Perhaps, but I'd prefer "well it could be worse" to not be the justification for continued subpar performance (this applies universally, not just to my sports allegiances)

[heyheymymy]

McCombs goes to show you local doesn't necessarily mean good either though. Ugh hate seeing private equity parasites owning so much of the team.

Especially after the Dallas Mavericks fiasco really hammers home this is the billionaire's world and we all just live in it. PE money always pours in right before ty changes that ruin everything start happening. So scared the Spurs financial backing will pull some future stunt that harms the basketball product or experience in some big way.

[Sugus]

Perhaps, but I'd prefer "well it could be worse" to not be the justification for continued subpar performance (this applies universally, not just to my sports allegiances)

I do agree, and I honestly have to agree with the overall sentiment from other commenters regarding foreign investor interest in the Spurs (and any other team).

We certainly can't act like it's never gonna happen after what Dallas just went through. I generally like the moves and direction of the FO/team, but it's a "never say never" world.


Having said that though, in the general context of our conversation, I took the entirety of the Spurs' recent tenure in consideration when saying that -- I don't think it's fair to judge them wrongly based on possible future mistakes, and they've certainly been a top-of-the-league franchise for the last few decades. Given Spurstalk has been in' & Moanin' about the FO ever since you've been around the forum, I certainly think most people take that for granted, and don't think "well it could be worse" is a fair valuation of the team staff at all.

I'd say a team like Miami is more of a "well it could be worse" in that sense, generally positive moves but a fair bit of significant blunders to stain them as well. Can you imagine Spurstalk's reaction if Pop was half as arrogant as Pat Riley and chased superstars out of town? Yeah....

[baseline bum]

I do agree, and I honestly have to agree with the overall sentiment from other commenters regarding foreign investor interest in the Spurs (and any other team).

We certainly can't act like it's never gonna happen after what Dallas just went through. I generally like the moves and direction of the FO/team, but it's a "never say never" world.


Having said that though, in the general context of our conversation, I took the entirety of the Spurs' recent tenure in consideration when saying that -- I don't think it's fair to judge them wrongly based on possible future mistakes, and they've certainly been a top-of-the-league franchise for the last few decades. Given Spurstalk has been in' & Moanin' about the FO ever since you've been around the forum, I certainly think most people take that for granted, and don't think "well it could be worse" is a fair valuation of the team staff at all.

I'd say a team like Miami is more of a "well it could be worse" in that sense, generally positive moves but a fair bit of significant blunders to stain them as well. Can you imagine Spurstalk's reaction if Pop was half as arrogant as Pat Riley and chased superstars out of town? Yeah....

You're not American right? You probably haven't had a front row seat to the way private equity has been looting our nation then the way we have in the US. So seeing these kind of vultures as owners of the Spurs is scary, they will nickel and dime everything and give no s about the community just like the Adelson harpy in Dallas.

I'll just post a few examples though there are many many many others:

[scott]

I do agree, and I honestly have to agree with the overall sentiment from other commenters regarding foreign investor interest in the Spurs (and any other team).

We certainly can't act like it's never gonna happen after what Dallas just went through. I generally like the moves and direction of the FO/team, but it's a "never say never" world.


Having said that though, in the general context of our conversation, I took the entirety of the Spurs' recent tenure in consideration when saying that -- I don't think it's fair to judge them wrongly based on possible future mistakes, and they've certainly been a top-of-the-league franchise for the last few decades. Given Spurstalk has been in' & Moanin' about the FO ever since you've been around the forum, I certainly think most people take that for granted, and don't think "well it could be worse" is a fair valuation of the team staff at all.

I'd say a team like Miami is more of a "well it could be worse" in that sense, generally positive moves but a fair bit of significant blunders to stain them as well. Can you imagine Spurstalk's reaction if Pop was half as arrogant as Pat Riley and chased superstars out of town? Yeah....

This is where I take pride in only being a recent "PATFO hater". I was happy to be a sniffer when the aromas were pleasant. I will never take away from that beautifully fragrant rose garden... my complaints over the stench are only meant to encompass the time period in which our rose garden has had a thick layer of manure. With that said, I do hope that this recently abundant layer of chicken is like all fertilizer, a temporary stink in order to foster future growth.

I feel like I've beaten this analogy to death enough now

[scott]

I'd say a team like Miami is more of a "well it could be worse" in that sense, generally positive moves but a fair bit of significant blunders to stain them as well. Can you imagine Spurstalk's reaction if Pop was half as arrogant as Pat Riley and chased superstars out of town? Yeah....

Well... Pop is arrogant enough to hold the team hostage while he learns how to walk again... so... I'm not quite ready to take a victory lap over Riley.

(hit reply on my previous post before I could address this one)

[rascal]

Charlotte tanking tonight by sitting players.

[Sugus]

You're not American right? You probably haven't had a front row seat to the way private equity has been looting our nation then the way we have in the US. So seeing these kind of vultures as owners of the Spurs is scary, they will nickel and dime everything and give no s about the community just like the Adelson harpy in Dallas.

I'll just post a few examples though there are many many many others:

Indeed I'm not - thanks for the content recs! Will give them a watch... Though I'm familiar with the gist of the system (and you'd be surprised at just how much of American culture and happenings are obnoxiously plastered all over, y'all are hard to miss ).

You poked my interest, though; is there some stat or recollection as to how many NBA teams are "private-equity-owned", and to which percentage? I'd love to see numbers of this and see how the trend has grown in recent years. I've never paid attention to the Spurs' sponsors besides Frost, so I'm a bit out of the loop here.

[Sugus]

This is where I take pride in only being a recent "PATFO hater". I was happy to be a sniffer when the aromas were pleasant. I will never take away from that beautifully fragrant rose garden... my complaints over the stench are only meant to encompass the time period in which our rose garden has had a thick layer of manure. With that said, I do hope that this recently abundant layer of chicken is like all fertilizer, a temporary stink in order to foster future growth.

I feel like I've beaten this analogy to death enough now

Haha, I share your hopes, and get your POV. Honestly the Fox trade is the kind of move that really points to the FO having the "right idea", but we'll have to watch the chickens hatch before we count the eggs... Or the flowers grow from the manure, if you'd rather

Well... Pop is arrogant enough to hold the team hostage while he learns how to walk again... so... I'm not quite ready to take a victory lap over Riley.

(hit reply on my previous post before I could address this one)

Hmmmmm, I don't think that's a fair comparison though. You know I'm also in the "take the keys away" camp, but I don't think Pop trying to work himself towards an (ill-advised, sure) return to what he believes is still-competent coaching is anywhere near trying to strong-arm your most valuable players, mafia-boss style, and losing them in the process, throwing your entire team and organization into a rebuild..... multiple times.

Like, even worst-case scenario, Pop is only "holding hostages" (pretty extreme) for a season. How many years was Miami set back after DWade left due to rifts with Riley? And then after LeBron left because Riley wouldn't give him his ing chocolate cookies? And now again, publicly shaming Butler and driving him out of town? The Heat are pretty much looking at another rebuild unless a Big Market Miracle happens to them again (which I'm giving Riley no credit for, even if it does).

You can't seriously compare plunging your team into full rebuilds with Pop's situation, especially considering it's a stroke that sidelined Pop, nothing to blame him for. At least IMO, of course.

[KobesAchilles]

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. And tbh there was plenty of reason to and moan during the Duncan years. Like we never got a back up PG during that span. We had the cheapest centers ever and we had no back up plan at all once Finley and Berry got washed. I mean we did trade Dragic and Barbosa and who could ever forget us trading away the greatest basketball player of all time in Scola

That said, I want my cake and eat it too this year when it comes to criticism. Bc I have no idea how to fix the team going forward. I can give my 2 cents on it. But I really don’t know what we can do going forward bc there are so many damn options and I have no idea which one is the best. As long as the Spurs don’t stand pat then I’m good either way whatever it is that we do.

We need a coach. I don’t know who it could be. I know how I want us to take coaching. Go all in with top of the line everything. Offer the top assistant from either Memphis or Minny and pay him $7 million to be our coach. And then poach and poach and poach from the Cavs, Celtics, and Pistons. All of these teams have young talent that they have quickly developed and that’s what we have/need.

Draft: again I have no idea. My dream is either Flagg or Bailey. But I would focus one pick on shooting and the other on athletic big man. No guards please or nobody under 6’7 (Bailey is 6’10). But again I have no idea who we should pick. I will have more of an idea in June the week before the draft.

FA and trades and cuts: we have money! Let’s use it. But for who? Idk. Do we put all our eggs in Naz Reid? Do we sign Portis? Can we trade Vassell for Randle? Would #16 Josh Giddey look good for our bench unit alongside Aldama with his basketball smarts? Do we re-sign CP3 for the back up role? Can Branham and Wesley just be cut already? Do we trade away KJ for a SRP? What championship veteran end of the line bench players are there? Bc I’m tired of seeing happiness after losing games and goofing off with opposing teams after the beat the brakes off of us (looking at you Sochan). Who are the guys that are going to give us professionalism? All these questions I again don’t have the answer for it.

But a CP3, Giddy, Aldama, Sochan and draft pick sounds like a formidable bench to me. With Barnes, Portis, Wemby, Castle, and Fox as our starters. And the Minny assistant as ours with every top poached coach we can.

[exstatic]

ing Charlotte sat EVEYONE!

[exstatic]

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. And tbh there was plenty of reason to and moan during the Duncan years. Like we never got a back up PG during that span. We had the cheapest centers ever and we had no back up plan at all once Finley and Berry got washed. I mean we did trade Dragic and Barbosa and who could ever forget us trading away the greatest basketball player of all time in Scola

That said, I want my cake and eat it too this year when it comes to criticism. Bc I have no idea how to fix the team going forward. I can give my 2 cents on it. But I really don’t know what we can do going forward bc there are so many damn options and I have no idea which one is the best. As long as the Spurs don’t stand pat then I’m good either way whatever it is that we do.

We need a coach. I don’t know who it could be. I know how I want us to take coaching. Go all in with top of the line everything. Offer the top assistant from either Memphis or Minny and pay him $7 million to be our coach. And then poach and poach and poach from the Cavs, Celtics, and Pistons. All of these teams have young talent that they have quickly developed and that’s what we have/need.

Draft: again I have no idea. My dream is either Flagg or Bailey. But I would focus one pick on shooting and the other on athletic big man. No guards please or nobody under 6’7 (Bailey is 6’10). But again I have no idea who we should pick. I will have more of an idea in June the week before the draft.

FA and trades and cuts: we have money! Let’s use it. But for who? Idk. Do we put all our eggs in Naz Reid? Do we sign Portis? Can we trade Vassell for Randle? Would #16 Josh Giddey look good for our bench unit alongside Aldama with his basketball smarts? Do we re-sign CP3 for the back up role? Can Branham and Wesley just be cut already? Do we trade away KJ for a SRP? What championship veteran end of the line bench players are there? Bc I’m tired of seeing happiness after losing games and goofing off with opposing teams after the beat the brakes off of us (looking at you Sochan). Who are the guys that are going to give us professionalism? All these questions I again don’t have the answer for it.

But a CP3, Giddy, Aldama, Sochan and draft pick sounds like a formidable bench to me. With Barnes, Portis, Wemby, Castle, and Fox as our starters. And the Minny assistant as ours with every top poached coach we can.

Spurs will never sign a ing psycho like Bobby Portis.

[KobesAchilles]

Spurs will never sign a ing psycho like Bobby Portis.

Why is he a pyscho? What did I miss?

[LeBowen]

Why is he a pyscho? What did I miss?

He broke Mirotic's face and he had quite a few flagrant incidents during games.

[exstatic]

He broke Mirotic's face and he had quite a few flagrant incidents during games.

Yeah, hospitalized his teammate.

[Kevin]

Next years Hawks pick will also boil down to the play-in unfortunately.

Heat blew it up this season, 76ers might blow it up or Embid might be done either way Philly wont be very good next year, the Bucks are worth monitoring with Giannis and so much of the eastern figures to be bad to mediocre like the Nets, Bulls, Raps, Hornets.

The Golden Ticket theory continues to be a dubious. The east is stacked in reverse standings.

[RC_Drunkford]

The 27 pick might hit if Ice Trae decides to terminate his contract

[Kevin]

Yeah the 27 pick or a Trae Young season ending injury is the real hope. 25 and 26 picks are looking bleak.

[LeBowen]

The 27 pick might hit if Ice Trae decides to terminate his contract

Hawks new front office seems to be competent.
Trae's option is for 26-27 season, that situation will be resolved this summer.
He'll either opt out and get and extension or get traded. Hawks won't let him walk for nothing because it's not like having one more year of Trae and knowing he'll walk after it would be worth anything.

[exstatic]

The 27 pick might hit if Ice Trae decides to terminate his contract

If he decides he’s not going to stay,they’ll need to move him THIS summer, likely improving the swap for 2026. In fact, the way teams seem to be operating these days if he’s even non-commital,they’ll flip him rather than lose him for nothing.

[KobesAchilles]

He broke Mirotic's face and he had quite a few flagrant incidents during games.

Did a quick google search and that was like 8 years ago. Also it said that Mirotic charged him first. But I think I want a tough guy like that on our team to defend Wemby. Toughness and at ude on this team would be a welcome sight seeing as we only have two players with that in our franchise player and CP3.

I think he brings defense and rebounding and doesn’t need the ball. Plus his three point percentage is higher than Sochans with more than double Sochans makes. He’s everything we want Sochan to eventually be. I wouldn’t mind offering him the full MLE.

Again I’m not saying I have the answers to fix the team. But Portis and Giddy would both fit well on this team.

[The Truth #6]

You're not American right? You probably haven't had a front row seat to the way private equity has been looting our nation then the way we have in the US. So seeing these kind of vultures as owners of the Spurs is scary, they will nickel and dime everything and give no s about the community just like the Adelson harpy in Dallas.

I'll just post a few examples though there are many many many others:

I agree about the evils of private equity. Finding new markets to create and exploit. I lost my job due to that.

If I had to guess, the money for PE in the NBA could be in the new arena/eminent domain scam of building arenas with housing and retail space, basically real estate development piggy backing on NBA fans and local tax base subsidizing it. But I imagine there are other aspects to it I'm unaware of.

[LeBowen]

Did a quick google search and that was like 8 years ago. Also it said that Mirotic charged him first. But I think I want a tough guy like that on our team to defend Wemby. Toughness and at ude on this team would be a welcome sight seeing as we only have two players with that in our franchise player and CP3.

I think he brings defense and rebounding and doesn’t need the ball. Plus his three point percentage is higher than Sochans with more than double Sochans makes. He’s everything we want Sochan to eventually be. I wouldn’t mind offering him the full MLE.

Again I’m not saying I have the answers to fix the team. But Portis and Giddy would both fit well on this team.

If we're talking basketball fit, he would've been a solid option a couple of years ago, he's on a decline and Bucks tried to get rid of him.



I'm not sure CP3 would've approved of Portis.

Giddey? Why would we add another questionable defender with no jumpshot?