UConn head coach Dan Hurley says Hawks ‘really like’ Donovan Clingan; Will Atlanta draft former Huskies star?

Things appear to be heating up for the Atlanta Hawks in the 2024 NBA Draft and while there is still plenty of speculation about what the Hawks might do on June 26, things appear to be taking shape.

There has been a lot of noise about UConn center Donovan Clingan being in the mix for the top spot in the draft and in a recent interview with CBS Sports, UConn head coach Dan Hurley mentioned that He had spoken to Hawks head coach Quin Snyder for advice. throughout the process of potentially taking the Lakers job and Hurley said in the interview that he knew the Hawks really liked Clingan:

“Seth Greenberg. He has always been a great advisor and advisor to me. People I really have a lot of respect for. Tom Izzo. I talked to him. He was very helpful. Billy Donovan has always been someone I’ve talked to a lot. Brad Stevens, Quin Snyder. Quin Snyder is a really smart guy who, I know they (the Atlanta Hawks) really like Donovan (Clingan), so I was able to kind of talk to them about Donovan, but also think about a lot of his brain.

While everything should be taken with a grain of salt until the Hawks make a choice, it’s interesting that Hurley acknowledges that Atlanta likes Clingan, which isn’t really a secret anymore.

In a recent CBS Sports Adam Finkelstein mock, he calls for the Hawks to select Sarr with the No. 1 pick, but he also left an interesting note about the Hawks and Clingan in his notes:

“I’ve gone back and forth about whether Atlanta would select Sarr or Risacher in recent weeks, which I think is an apt reflection of some of the indecision going on in Atlanta. Sources also say that Clingan not only worked, but also made an impression in doing so, fueling rumors of a potential trade down where they could target the big man and add another draft asset.

If the Hawks wanted to go back and take Clingan, how far would they go and what would they get in return? There have been a few mock trades with the San Antonio Spurs where they send #4 and #8 to the Hawks or they send #4 and one of the Hawks picks from the Dejounte Murray trade to Atlanta , but there is no guarantee. that Clingan comes in at No. 4 (or that the Spurs would make that deal to be honest with you). Clingan is a candidate to go to the Wizards with the No. 2 pick and there have been rumors of teams (Memphis?) trying to trade up to the No. 3 pick to take Clingan. It’s not completely out of the question that the Rockets could stay there and take him if they view him as the best player available. Could the Hawks move back to No. 2? Maybe, but no reports suggest the Wizards are interested in moving forward.

Clingan is considered the best college player in this draft and some consider him the safest player in the draft due to his perceived ability to immediately be a top defender and his potential to develop his game on the offensive end. He drew comparisons to four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, who played for current Hawks head coach Quin Snyder when they were in Utah. I think a comparison to Gobert is noble, but it’s not hard to see where people get that idea from.

There are less than two weeks until the NBA draft. Let’s see how everything plays out.