After a tumultuous season that’s led to trade rumors involving Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, the Atlanta Hawks got lucky and won the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery. While this year’s draft class doesn’t have a surefire No. 1 pick like Victor Wembanyama, it puts the Hawks in a strong position to drastically improve their roster.
Yet, while many teams would happily stand pat and take the best player available, the Hawks may be considering a different route to upgrading their roster.
According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Hawks have discussed trading out of the No. 1 pick, and they haven’t even worked out many of the top prospects. O’Connor also notes that if they do trade down, the Hawks could be targeting UConn’s Donovan Clingan with their top pick. Clingan reportedly had a strong workout in Atlanta with the Hawks’ front office in attendance.
O’Connor adds that the Hawks may even consider taking Clingan with the first overall pick if they don’t find a trade to their liking. Another “dark-horse candidate” is G League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis, but he could become a bigger target if the Hawks are able to trade down.
Other top prospects the Hawks may be considering with their top pick include a pair of Frenchmen, Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher, both would bring more size to Atlanta’s frontcourt. As rumors involving Young, Murray, and their top pick continue to swirl, the Hawks have a lot of tough decisions to make this summer.
Related: Joel Embiid seemingly recruits Paul George to Philadelphia 76ers on live TV during NBA Finals