The Hawks are the biggest threat to a Spurs dynasty

The San Antonio Spurs have had a nearly perfect season but were hoping for even more. Despite having the second-best record in the league, they own swap rights with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2026 NBA Draft and were expecting to have a fantastic pick.

That gave them a chance to have one of the best records in the league as well as a lottery pick, a perfect scenario for the rapidly improving Spurs. Unfortunately for the Silver and Black, things haven't gone according to plan of late.

Sure, they are 23-2 in their last 25 games, but the Hawks are also soaring. While it may seem unlikely, the Hawks could pose a threat to a potential Spurs dynasty.

The Hawks are currently in the play-in mix in the Eastern Conference, but they have been surprisingly resilient this season.

The Atlanta Hawks are the biggest threat to a Spurs dynasty

The Hawks initially surpassed expectations to start the season but later experienced a drop-off. That resulted in them shipping out star Trae Young prior to the trade deadline.

Post trade deadline, ATL then looked as though they were unintentionally tanking for a while, leading Spurs fans to celebrate.

Since then, Spurs fans haven't done much celebrating at the Hawks' misfortune. They have won 12 of the last 13 games, and I won against the highest teams in the NBA over the last month.

That has pushed them from being 10th in the East to 6th, and they could avoid the play-in tournament altogether. That would be a disastrous turn of events for San Antonio.

At one point, Atlanta looked like they might have the 11th pick in the NBA Draft. Now, that pick could be as low as 18th. That might not seem like a massive difference, but going from having a late lottery pick to a middling pick in the teens hurts.

This selection was one of San Antonio's last chances of getting a quality young player on a cheap contract before they began to get expensive. Worse yet, San Antonio traded away their pick in 2027 to the Sacramento Kings, believing that the Hawks would be much worse than they are.

The Hawks' draft picks suddenly look worse for the Spurs

The Spurs will likely still have a much better record next season than the Hawks. But fans were hoping that San Antonio would be one of the best teams in the NBA while still ending up with a top 10 or even a top five pick via Atlanta.

Especially if Young was traded. He has already been moved, and Atlanta appears to be much better for it. That means that they are ruining one of San Antonio's best assets.

To be clear, San Antonio should be more than fine and well positioned to contend for the next few seasons with a core of Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper.

They may have to make tough financial decisions later, but Wembanyama, Castle, and Harper could still be the core. Having two high lottery picks courtesy of the Hawks would be the cherry on top of their dynasty hopes.

Unfortunately, those picks don't look anywhere near as valuable now, with Atlanta suddenly looking like a legit playoff team.