Atlanta Hawks win #1 Pick in 2024 Draft Lottery

[HMFFL]

Donovan Clingan is a poor free throw shooter, he's not a three point threat, and his rebounding wasn't impressive. Pass!

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

The Atlanta Hawks’ Prize for Winning the Lottery? Um, Options?

How does landing the first pick affect the futures of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray? And who is the favorite to go no. 1? We examine all the Hawks’ offseason options.



Classic Atlanta Hawks, huh? Here they are, smack-dab in the middle of basketball no-man’s-land, and boom! They land the top pick in the most confusing draft in years. Unfortunately for the Hawks, there’s no Victor Wembanyama waiting to save them, not even a Kyrie Irving or a Zion Williamson to inject hope into their future. Just a bunch of intriguing ifs and maybes, which feels very on brand for Atlanta. But no matter how much uncertainty there is about the Hawks’ outlook and the quality of this upcoming draft class, they’re still clearly way better off picking first than 10th.

The Hawks had only a 3 percent chance of winning the first pick, but that’s exactly what happened. Now they have even more flexibility to go in any direction. “Positioning is key in this business. The position we have right now is no. 1,” Hawks general manager Landry Fields told reporters. “We’ll figure this thing out in time.”

But is there a player available at no. 1 who can help Trae oung accomplish his goals in Atlanta soon? Here’s how I’d rank the Hawks’ options right now:

1. Alex Sarr, French Power Forward

Sarr’s defensive versatility would add a new dimension for the Hawks, but he’s extremely raw on offense and played limited bench minutes for Perth over a competitive NBL season. Realistically, he’ll need some time to develop in the NBA, too.

2. Matas Buzelis, G League Forward

Young and Buzelis would have major two-man-game potential since Buzelis can pick apart defenses in the short roll or excel in dribble handoff situations. But he’s physically raw and has an unproven jumper.

3. Ron Holland, G League Wing

Holland is a two-way wing who can attack downhill, but as mentioned above, the Hawks haven’t had the best luck with wings who need to improve their jumpers.

4. Donovan Clingan, UConn Center

The 7-foot-2 center would be the safest choice on this list because he could provide the verticality that Young prefers. They’d likely need to move Clint Capela, because Clingan can do largely the same things Capela can but would be on a rookie-scale deal. The Hawks could also trade down and target Clingan later in the lottery.

5. Zaccharie Risacher, French Forward

At 6-foot-8, Risacher brings size and theoretical two-way versatility, but he’s an incredibly streaky 3-point shooter. This description may hit too close to home for Hawks fans after they experienced wings like Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter. Atlanta would need to feel really, really good about Risacher’s shot.

The Ringer

[tbhawksfan1]

Trading down with hopes to draft Clingan is harder said than done. He's listed as a #3 pick so if you want to be sure to get him you have only two teams to trade with. What would those teams be willing to give to move up?

I don't think that they would over pay in this draft. If I was GM of one of those teams I would not trade much to move up. I would stay at #2 or #3 and let the draft come to me. Much safer play

If I was Hawks GM I would look for a truly good trade value wise. #4 and #8 would do it. If I don't get it, it's Sarr #1

I don't see any team trading up to #1 to take anyone other than Sarr

[Skybox]

Personally, I'd take Sarr over Clingan and be a little patient for, imo, the greater upside.

My question, assuming ATL drafts Sarr or Clingan, would they seek to unload Capela or Okongwu? I would think Capela on an expiring deal, is the better mentor/placeholder for a rookie Center (I'm not that enamored with OO's long-term upside at C...but I don't really know how ATL looks at him). I'm guessing Okongwu's versatility makes him a better pairing, long-term, with Sarr (or Clingan). Wendell Carter could provide a solid, versatile, upgrade at C immediately (on a great deal) and gracefully transition to PF/C as Sarr earns more time. Carter is a solid, heady, 2-way role model for Okongwu as well and offers similar versatility...Carter is also only 25.

I really want to construct a trade for Murray to ORL and am looking for ways to sweeten the deal by absorbing a player that ATL now finds redundant. I'm not saying Capela or OO don't have value, just that rolling them into a bigger deal would also be useful to ATL, cap-wise.

ORL sends: Wendell Carter, Jett Howard, DEN 25 frp, ORL 26 frp (top 5 protected) ($17m salary)
ATL sends: Dejounte Murray, Clint Capela, Bruno Fernando ($ 50m salary)

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

2024 NBA Mock Draft - Post Finals Edition



The 2024 NBA Finals are over with the Boston Celtics emerging as champions. The league is now ready to turn the page to next season, starting with the 2024 NBA Draft. The first round of the draft is happening on Wednesday, June 26 on ESPN starting at 8 p.m. ET, and for the first time, the second round will happen the next day.

This has always been a tricky draft to project due to the lack of consensus at the top of the class. Information is slowly starting to trickle out about how teams are approaching this draft, and at this point a framework for team preferences is slowly starting unfold.

1. Atlanta Hawks - Donovan Clingan, C, UConn

No one knows what the Hawks are going to do with this pick mostly because there hasn’t been a consensus No. 1 player in this class at any point in the cycle. The fact that Atlanta was preparing to draft at No. 10 entering the lottery before jumping all the way up to No. 1 probably didn’t help matters. We know the Hawks have scouted French wing Zaccharie Risacher in person at a playoff game and brought him in for a workout. There are rumors the team is also considering trading down, perhaps to target UConn center Donovan Clingan. With Washington and Houston lurking as potential Clingan suitors slightly down the order, it’s starting to feel like Atlanta could just take the Huskies big man at No. 1.

The Hawks’ defense has always been bad since they drafted Trae Young. Last season, Atlanta finished No. 27 in defensive efficiency. Rim protection was a distinct weakness, with the Hawks finishing No. 26 in blocks per game. Clingan is the draft’s best shot-blocker, and arguably its most impactful overall defender. An underrated factor in this pick is that Atlanta owes unprotected first round picks to the San Antonio Spurs in 2025 and 2027. Clingan feels more ready to contribute than someone like Sarr (who was my personal pick here last week), and that might make the difference for a team that doesn’t want to surrender a high pick next season.

SB Nation

[tbhawksfan1]

I think it would be a big mistake to take Clingan over Sarr. Clingan looks like a pretty good starting caliber C and that ain't bad. I've nevery see a guy Sarr's size with his mobility, quickness, handles; passing and I think he will quickly hit threes at near 35%

Sarr has star potential

[HMFFL]

Sarr is being compared to Jaren Jackson Jr by many of you here on the forum and in articles.

JJJ has a career average of 5.5 rebounds per game. His career high in a game is 13.

That's not impressive at all.

[Jamaaliver]

I've never see a guy Sarr's size with his mobility, quickness, handles; passing...

Yeah you have.

Spoiler:

[tbhawksfan1]

I've never see a guy Sarr's size with his mobility, quickness, handles; passing...

Yeah you have.

Spoiler:

Good company

[Jamaaliver]

Sarr is being compared to Jaren Jackson Jr by many of you here on the forum and in articles.

JJJ has a career average of 5.5 rebounds per game. His career high in a game is 13.

That's not impressive at all.

Yeah. And that is the largest concern for Sarr.

The lack of physicality leads to low rebounding totals, sub par screening, ineffective post play, inconsistent finishing.

His size and man defense will keep him in the league. But he's got to get stronger/tougher.

Can we afford to wait that long?

[Jamaaliver]

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[tbhawksfan1]

Sarr is being compared to Jaren Jackson Jr by many of you here on the forum and in articles.

JJJ has a career average of 5.5 rebounds per game. His career high in a game is 13.

That's not impressive at all.

Yeah. And that is the largest concern for Sarr.

The lack of physicality leads to low rebounding totals, sub par screening, ineffective post play, inconsistent finishing.

His size and man defense will keep him in the league. But he's got to get stronger/tougher.

[color=#FF0040]

Can we afford to wait that long?

[/color]

I can

[Jamaaliver]

Yeah. And that is the largest concern for Sarr.

His size and man defense will keep him in the league. But he's got to get stronger/tougher.

Can we afford to wait that long?

I can

And there's nothing wrong with that. Alex Sarr is going to be a good NBA player.

But focusing on his development over fielding a competitive team will lead to the departures of vets like Bogdan, Dejounte and Trae.

And since we don't own our own draft picks for years...more highly touted players will be drafted by SAS using OUR picks while we wait to develop a kid most scouts believe will be a fringe All Star (in the vein of Evan Mobley).


That's hard to justify...unless you truly believe Sarr is the second coming of Giannis.

[tbhawksfan1]

Yeah. And that is the largest concern for Sarr.

His size and man defense will keep him in the league. But he's got to get stronger/tougher.

Can we afford to wait that long?

I can

And there's nothing wrong with that. Alex Sarr is going to be a good NBA player.

But focusing on his development over fielding a competitive team will lead to the departures of vets like Bogdan, Dejounte and Trae.

And since we don't own our own draft picks for years...more highly touted players will be drafted by SAS using OUR picks while we wait to develop a kid most scouts believe will be a fringe All Star (in the vein of Evan Mobley).


That's hard to justify...unless you truly believe Sarr is the second coming of Giannis.

You play to win now but you strategise to win big. Winning big takes time

[tbhawksfan1]

In three years Sarr / OO / JJ / ? / Trae can win a trophy or two if the right moves are made. In three years Trae will be 28

Jaylen Brown just got #1 at 27

[Jamaaliver]

^Easier said than done.

So many GMs have tried.....Boston managed to do so. But it cost them a HC, a GM and an entire roster of good players.

[Jamaaliver]

Most likely scenario...if Hawks really want Clingan:

They draft Sarr at #1 and trade him to Washington for the #2 pick plus a second rounder.

Could Donovan Clingan realistically go No. 1 overall?

More smoke emerges surrounding Donovan Clingan's continued rise to the top of the 2024 NBA Draft board



In what has been categorized as a "weak" NBA Draft class, there have not been many consistencies atop draft boards to a consensus degree - with the exception of one rising prospect. Over the past few weeks, if there's been one as close to unanimous trend, it's that Donovan. Clingan is quickly rising up mock drafts and draft boards overall. There have even been some mock drafts that have Clingan going No. 1 overall.

With less than two weeks before the NBA Draft, the question is, how realistic is it for Clingan to be selected that high? That could not be easy to answer at the moment but perhaps a recent report does give added light to that possibility. According to a recent report, the Atlanta Hawks, who have the No. 1 overall pick, "really like" Clingan as a prospect. At this point, he's clearly on their radar as a potential fit.

The question is, does "really like" mean they'd consider taking him with the No. 1 overall pick? Of course, the Hawks wouldn't HAVE to select him as No. 1 overall. They could trade down and still try to get Clingan, but there's always added risk with that philosophy.

What will the Atlanta Hawks do?

The Hawks have a big decision to make and roughly have a week to figure it out. I'm sure there are other prospects the Hawks "like" too and their interest in Clingan is still something to keep an eye on. Ultimately, Atlanta's decision could come down to this: Are they ready to rebuild their roster this summer? If so, it wouldn't make much sense for Clingan to be the selection at No. 1.

I have a hard time envisioning that the Hawks would want to jumpstart their rebuild by drafting a center with the No. 1 overall selection in the NBA Draft. With all due respect to Clingan, those days are long gone in the NBA.

On the other hand, if the Hawks are thinking about a retooling of their roster and not necessarily a full-blown rebuild, this possibility becomes more and more sensible. For example, if the Hawks are going to keep Trae Young or Dejounte Murray around, having a defensive anchor at the center position could make sense.

The Hawks have a big decision to make and are clearly exploring every possible option heading into the NBA Draft.

Sir Charles in Charge

[tbhawksfan1]

^Easier said than done.

So many GMs have tried.....Boston managed to do so. But it cost them a HC, a GM and an entire roster of good players.

So

Edit: To be clear my so meant that they won a Chip and if it took a HC, a GM and the rest great. It worked

Now we need to do things that work