We’re less than a week away from the start of the 2024 NBA Draft, and there’s still a shroud of mystery surrounding who the Atlanta Hawks will take with the first overall pick. While they were open to discussing trade offers in an effort to strengthen the team’s depth, now it appears Atlanta is locked into standing pat and taking the top player on their draft board.
Alright, so if Atlanta’s staying put, who will they take? Reports suggest the Hawks haven’t been able to bring in all the prospects they’d like for a private workout. Frenchman Alex Sarr is one who has been dodging Atlanta thus far, but there are still plenty of other options.
Yet, according to Yahoo’s Jake Fischer, teams believe the Hawks are zeroed in on two specific prospects.
“Atlanta will listen at No. 1, but the Hawks appear intent on holding firm, sources said, while the front office finalizes which prospect to select at the top of a draft class that’s full of question marks. At this point, most team personnel picking in the slots behind Atlanta believe the Hawks will ultimately choose between French wing Zaccharie Risacher and UConn center Donovan Clingan.”
NBA insider Jake Fischer on Atlanta Hawks’ 2024 NBA Draft focus
Previous reports suggested the Hawks were infatuated with Clingan but believed they may be able to trade down and still land their top target. That no longer seems to be the case, with several other teams, such as Chicago, Memphis, and Portland, making the UConn champion one of their top priorities, too.
Either way, it appears the Hawks are locked in on adding some size to their core, with Risacher measuring in at 6-foot-9 as a small forward, and Clingan being quite bigger as a 7-foot-2 center. Both would be great fits to complement Trae Young and Dejounte Murray if the All-Star duo even sticks around.
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