Atlanta, GA

Atlanta and Washington give the Southeast Division a 1-2 punch at the top of the NBA draft

Published

2 years ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Atlanta and Washington give the Southeast Division a 1-2 punch at the top of the NBA draft

The Southeast Division controlled the top two selections in the NBA draft, with Atlanta and Washington picking 1-2.

Those were rare spots for those two franchises.

The Hawks won the lottery after having only a 3% chance of landing the top pick. They had picked No. 1 only one other time, in 1975.

Washington had the top pick in 2001 (Kwame Brown) and 2010 (John Wall), but those were the only times in the past half-century the team had selected in the top two.

Elsewhere in the division, the Orlando Magic were also in an unusual spot after making the playoffs this past season. They picked Colorado forward Tristan da Silva at No. 18 — their lowest first-round pick since 2012.

The Hawks and Wizards may have been in close proximity in the draft, but on the court the teams are in very different positions entering this offseason. The Hawks were in the play-in round last season, with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray averaging over 20 points a game. Now they add French teen Zaccharie Risacher to the mix.

The Wizards, meanwhile, lost a franchise-record 67 games, and expectations figure to be low again even after taking French 7-footer Alex Sarr one spot after Risacher.

Atlanta Hawks

Needs: Defensive help at every level.

Who they drafted: Risacher at No. 1.

NBA comparision: Risacher said he and Golden State shooting guard Klay Thompson have “the same game.” Risacher then quickly added Thompson has the advantage of being a veteran while he must improve. Risacher is quick and athletic at 6-foot-9, 215 pounds and should provide both scoring and defensive skills on the wing.

Charlotte Hornets

Needs: The Hornets had plenty of issues across the board last season, none bigger than their defense. Charlotte finished second-to-last in the league in defensive rating. The Hornets also need to add more 3-point shooting and rebounding.

Who they drafted: Forward Tidjane Salaun of France at No. 6.

NBA comparison: Salaun has plenty of length and intensity and reminds some of a more athletic version of Otto Porter Jr. or Jonas Jerebko. The big question will be how he develops as a shooter. Just 18, he played very well at the Basketball Without Borders camp and was named MVP of the 2023 Trophy of the Future tournament, averaging 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The Hornets passed on UConn center Donovan Clingan to take the 6-9 Salaun.

Miami Heat

Needs: Size

Who they drafted: Indiana center Kel’el Ware at No. 15.

NBA comparision: He might be considered a Myles Turner type, a 7-footer with serious offensive skills, a knack for rim protection and outstanding in the pick-and-roll. Ware also will immediately benefit from playing alongside Heat captain Bam Adebayo, who could get more minutes at power forward if Ware can take center minutes.

Orlando Magic

Needs: Perimeter shooting. The Magic were last in the NBA in 3-point field goals and 24th in 3-point percentage.

Who they drafted: Da Silva at No. 18.

NBA comparison: Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris because of his size, all-around game and maturity.

Washington Wizards

Needs: Washington is only a year into its rebuild, so the Wizards didn’t necessarily have to be picky about fit — but it happened that some of the top players available also had good size, which the team can use after dealing Kristaps Porzingis and Daniel Gafford in the fairly recent past.

Who they drafted: Sarr with the No. 2 pick, Pittsburgh guard Bub Carrington at No. 14 and 6-8 Kyshawn George of Miami at No. 24.

NBA comparison for Sarr: He says he admires Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, although his defensive impact may make him more comparable to Jaren Jackson Jr. initially.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

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Atlanta, GA

Falcons deny Cowboys’ request to interview DC Jeff Ulbrich, per report

Published

7 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Falcons deny Cowboys’ request to interview DC Jeff Ulbrich, per report

The Atlanta Falcons are in the process of hiring a new head coach and general manager, but that doesn’t mean the team is completely cleaning house. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has done an incredible job with the Falcons defense since replacing Jimmy Lake in the offseason.

The Falcons would prefer to keep Ulbrich, as team owner Arthur Blank stated, but the new head coach will have the final say. According to a report from ESPN’s Todd Archer, Atlanta blocked the Dallas Cowboys’ request to interview Ulbrich on Thursday.

“The Cowboys were denied by Atlanta to talk with Jeff Ulbrich for DC job, according to sources,” wrote Archer. “He remains under contract [with] the Falcons despite their search for a head coach. A potential interview can be revisited later if they hire a [head coach], who has a different coordinator in mind.”

Blank discussed Ulbrich’s impact during his Thursday press conference and said he was impressed with the work he did with the team’s rookie draft class. James Pearce Jr. led all rookies in sacks with 10.5 this season, while third-round pick Xavier Watts racked up a rookie-high five interceptions as the team’s starting safety.

“You can’t dictate to the new head coach who their coordinators would be, but I’d certainly recommend to the new head coach to consider Ulbrich,” Blank said of the Falcons’ current defensive coordinator.

It sounds like the Falcons aren’t going to let Ulbrich out of their sights, and it’s hard to blame them. The Falcons defensive coordinator helped the team record a franchise-record 57 sacks this season, just one year after finishing 31st in the NFL with just 31 sacks.

Follow along with each request and interview with our Falcons head coach tracker.

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Atlanta, GA

What the $245M refinance of a Midtown office tower signals for Atlanta

Published

19 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

What the 5M refinance of a Midtown office tower signals for Atlanta

Business

The tower at 1105 W. Peachtree St., which bears Google’s logo, recently secured a new loan at a time many landlords are struggling to do so.

1105 West Peachtree (Google Tower in Midtown) is shown Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Atlanta. The Google Tower is one of the developments done by Selig Enterprises. (Jason Getz/AJC)

It hasn’t been easy the past few years to be an office landlord.

Many tenants shrunk their workspaces coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning buildings that lost rental revenue also lost value. Interest rates surged. Many banks got gun shy over having too much money lent to office tower owners, and a whole lot of loans have been coming due.

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The tower at 1105 W Peachtree St. in Midtown Atlanta is one of the city’s newest office buildings.

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Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He’s been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people’s lives.

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta meth lab kingpin sentenced to 30 years after massive seizure

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Atlanta meth lab kingpin sentenced to 30 years after massive seizure

ATLANTA – A Mexican national will spend the next 30 years in federal prison for operating clandestine methamphetamine laboratories across the Atlanta area, federal officials announced Wednesday.

What we know:

Ramiro Contreras-Sandoval, 41, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross following his conviction for running conversion labs that housed more than 135 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine hidden in paint buckets. Contreras-Sandoval, who also went by several aliases including Manuel Santiago Vazquez and “Mirin,” was also convicted of possessing firearms as an illegal alien to protect his drug trafficking operation.

The investigation began in April 2019, when law enforcement seized the methamphetamine mixture from a conversion lab in Morrow, Georgia. Contreras-Sandoval and his co-defendant, Genaro Davalos-Pulido, fled the area after a vehicle they were using to transport the drugs was stopped by police.

The pair remained at large until the fall of 2021, when agents tracked them to a neighborhood in Norcross, Georgia. During a search of a Norcross residence, agents discovered a full-scale liquid meth operation, a loaded Beretta handgun, $84,000 in cash, and a .50-caliber rifle that appeared ready for shipment to Mexico. Contreras-Sandoval was arrested nearby with approximately $12,000 in his vehicle and pockets.

What they’re saying:

“This case should send a clear message to anyone thinking about running drugs or using deadly weapons to protect their operation: the federal government will relentlessly seek justice and protect the community from drug traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.

“Operating methamphetamine labs is a reckless and dangerous crime,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “This conviction underscores that DEA will aggressively pursue anyone who engages in drug trafficking activities that put lives at risk.”

What’s next:

Contreras-Sandoval’s 30-year sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release. His co-defendant, Davalos-Pulido, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October 2024.

The Source: The U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office provided the details for this article.

AtlantaNewsCrime and Public Safety

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