At 28-28 and 10th in the Western Conference, the Sacramento Kings are in the thick of the playoff hunt. Given that the Kings decided to make a bunch of win-now moves, they are clearly desperate to make it to the postseason. However, there is one team that likely wants the Kings to make the playoffs just as bad as they do.
And if you hadn't already guessed from the cover image, that team is the Atlanta Hawks.
Why do the Hawks want the Kings to make the playoffs?
To understand the Hawks' fixation with the Kings making the postseason, we need to talk about a now-former member of the Kings.
During the 2022 offseason, the Kings acquired Kevin Huerter from the Hawks in exchange for Justin Holiday, Moe Harkless, and a future first round pick. The future first round pick ended up being a top 12 protected pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
If the Kings make the playoffs, they will be guaranteed to be outside of the top 14 in the draft order, meaning the pick will belong to the Hawks. And since the pick is top 12 protected and not lottery protected, there is a world where the Kings make the play-in tournament, but not the playoffs, and still fall outside of the protection (if they finish 13 or 14 in the lottery order).
Given that the Hawks owe their first round pick to the San Antonio Spurs (as a result of the Dejounte Murray trade), this is the only lottery pick they would have (unless the Los Angeles Lakers' pick they own unexpectedly ends up in the lottery).
Now, if the Hawks don't get this pick, they will then get the Kings 2026 first round pick (which has a top 10 protection attached to it). So, all hope is not lost for the Hawks if they don't end up getting the pick this year.
What are the odds of the Hawks taking the Kings pick?
According to The Analyst's 2024-25 NBA Prediction model, the Kings have a 20.8% chance of making the playoffs. Meanwhile, FanDuel Sportsbook gives the Kings a -210 chance of making it to the play-in tournament (they have a -410 chance of making the playoffs).