We’re less than a month away from the start of the 2024 NBA Draft on June 26. So far, there’s still no consensus on who the Atlanta Hawks will select with the No. 1 overall pick, which means the rest of the draft is unpredictable too.
Yet, there are some factors that are predictable, such as UConn’s Donovan Clingan being a top-10 pick after leading the Huskies to two NCAA Championships during his two-year college career. Clingan, a 7-foot-2 rim-protecting center, reportedly has a number of lottery teams chasing after him during the pre-draft process.
Donovan Clingan spurring trade interest ahead of NBA Draft
According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, there’s even a trio of teams who feel they need to trade up to secure the 20-year-old prospect. Per Givony, “it’s hard to see how Clingan falls” to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7, which is why some teams feel they don’t have a choice but to move up the draft board.
“There’s chatter around the league that teams such as Portland, Memphis and Chicago might look to move up to draft Clingan earlier than this (No. 7).”
NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony on interest in Donovan Clingan
The Blazers hold the seventh pick, Memphis selects ninth, and Chicago sits at 11 in the 2024 NBA Draft order.
While he’s an above-average passer, Clingan may not offer as much potential as other prospects due to a lack of a polished offensive skillset. Yet, he’s already a plus defender who averaged a robust 2.5 blocks per game. If teams believe they can continue developing Clingan’s scoring skillset while taking advantage of his ability to impact games defensively, they could be landing one of the best overall players in the draft class.
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