Hawks GM Prepares For Waiting Game In NBA Draft

ATLANTA – Atlanta Hawks general manager Rick Sund doesn’t have much leverage entering the NBA draft next week.

The Hawks are without a first-round pick after Sund traded for point guard Kirk Hinrich in February. Sitting at No. 48 overall, Atlanta lacks the flexibility needed to talk with other teams about possibly trading up in the draft.

Add in the uncertainty of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, which expires June 30 and will likely delay the start of free agency July 1, and the Hawks’ offices are hardly buzzing with excitement.

The deal that sent Mike Bibby, swingman Jordan Crawford and a first-round pick to Washington for Hinrich and soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Hilton Armstrong was a washout for the Hawks, whose season ended with a third straight second-round playoff loss.