NBA Insider says teams behind Atlanta think Hawks will pick Zacharie Risacher or Donovan Clingan No. 1

Five days until the Atlanta Hawks are scheduled to make a selection with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Who the Atlanta Hawks are considering taking has been the subject of much speculation, but it seems increasingly that Atlanta could come down to two prospects.

Today, prominent NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported on what the teams behind Atlanta think the Hawks will do on Wednesday night:

“Atlanta will listen to No. 1, but the Hawks appear determined to hold on, sources said, while the front office finalizes which prospect to select at the top of a draft class full of question marks. At this point, most of the team’s personnel ” Players picking behind Atlanta believe the Hawks will ultimately choose between French wing Zaccharie Risacher and UConn center Donovan Clingan. “

Fischer also had this to say about the Hawks and Clint Capela:

“Atlanta, sources say, continues to make deals for veteran center Clint Capela, who is entering the final year of a contract that still owes the 30-year-old rim protector $22 million.”

Things seem to be moving in this direction over the past few weeks. Risacher was the player mocked by the Hawks in the latest mock versions of ESPN and Bleacher Report, while Sam Vecenie of The Athletic mocked Clingan to the Hawks, the first major media outlet to do so:

“The conversation surrounding the Hawks has been fascinating to follow. Although Hawks general manager Landry Fields has said the team is comfortable selecting first place, league sources continue to have l It feels like Atlanta is open to offers for the right deal.

One reason: Clingan is the name I’ve heard most often associated with the Hawks over the past week. He wouldn’t be the sexiest pick, but would serve a few purposes for Atlanta. First, the organization hasn’t shown any signs of rebuilding yet, so they may prefer to select a player who can fit into their roster sooner rather than later. Second, coach Quin Snyder found success in Utah by relying on an elite big screen and rim protector in Rudy Gobert. Clingan, who impressed in a recent practice for Atlanta, would give the Hawks a potentially dominant interior presence and lock-in big character in the short term.

Clingan had a monster late season, helping Connecticut win a second straight national title by averaging 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks over his final 18 games, including 16 points, 9.4 rebounds and three blocks in his last seven. After returning from ankle and foot injuries early in the season and getting back up to speed, he was one of the most dominant players in college basketball and was arguably the most imposing defender in the country by his simple presence.

In my last mock draft in early June, I noted that Clingan was considered a potential top-three option, and that remains the case. The Hawks might view Clingan more as a potential trade target and believe Risacher is a better potential option if they retain the No. 1 pick. The team has a practice scheduled with Risacher this week, which could result in a change in direction one way or the other. This selection process does not appear to be a done deal at this point.

Atlanta might not even be able to go down that far if it wants Clingan, as several teams ranked below the top 3, including Memphis and Chicago, are interested in him and could try to trade.

Risacher practiced with the Hawks this week, while Clingan previously practiced for Atlanta.

On Monday, Hawks general manager Landry Fields said that as of this point, they plan to pick No. 1, but it appears the Hawks are keeping their options open (as they should), and In Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft on ESPN, he left some interesting notes on some prospects the Hawks have recruited for practice:

The Hawks haven’t been able to bring Alex Sarr in for practice so far, but the door remains open for that to potentially happen. Clingan appears to be Risacher’s main rival at number 1. His training – during which he shot the ball extremely well, showed surprisingly good passing ability on short rolls and was impressive in both film study and in interviews – helped his ranking project. and in fact here is a possible selection of sleepers, as we have been discussing for several weeks.

The status of Atlanta’s Trae Young is the big question hanging over the franchise. One option that has been widely discussed among teams is the possibility of the Hawks reacquiring their unprotected 2025 first-round pick from San Antonio (perhaps in a trade for the No. 4 pick), which would give the team much more flexibility for rebuilding. This would currently be difficult to understand, with their next three draft picks (2025, 2026 trade rights and 2027) belonging to the Spurs.

The Hawks worked out Reed Sheppard last week and Clingan before that, both attractive options at No. 4 if they choose to move back. Atlanta also brought in Matas Buzelis, Cody Williams and Ron Holland for practice.”

It appears Atlanta is doing their due diligence in case they decide to back down. The most popular trade was them going to #4 and getting either the #8 pick or one of their future 1st round picks. It seems unlikely (not impossible) that the Hawks will take any of these four players at No. 1 overall and that indicates they are exploring the possibility.

As the draft gets closer, it looks like the Hawks are going to stick with No. 1 and pick one of these two players. Keep in mind not to rule anything out when it comes to this year’s draft, though, as something unexpected could always happen.

Buckle up for the next five days.