The 2024 NBA Draft could see a change at the top, as “the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks have discussed a potential trade to take place on the evening of the upcoming NBA Draft,” per SpursReport’s Dusty Garza.
In the draft night trade, “the Spurs would put together a package that would include their 4th and 8th pick in order to choose first instead of the Hawks…”
Spurs Discussing Trade With Hawks?
The Hawks have been heavily linked to JL Bourg forward Zaccharie Risacher, Perth center Alexandre Sarr, and UConn center Donovan Clingan.
They could select Risacher or Sarr with the No. 1 pick, but they’re exploring trade scenarios that would see them moving down in the draft as well. In doing so, the presumed target would be Clingan. The 2-time NCAA champion is reportedly “a player the Hawks coaching staff covets and have done their research on.”
At 7-foot-3 and 282 pounds, the gargantuan pivot is an exceptional shot-blocker. This alone makes him valuable to Atlanta, as their big man duo’s interior defense wasn’t up to scratch in 2023-24. Furthermore, though he’s not the most lithe center, he’s not a sitting duck out in space either. With scouts imagining him to be a stretch-five down the line, his potential as an inside-outside scorer gives him value as a two-way player.
Still, Atlanta’s “begun to check the background of several other targets in case they make the trade… Cody Williams of Colorado is one of the players they are discussing.”
Williams is the brother of Oklahoma City Thunder rising star Jalen Williams. At 6-foot-8, he’s an efficient outside threat with defensive upside. However, he’s more focused on attacking the rim. With a knack for finishing in the paint, even through contact and at a variety of angles. This makes him more of a true wing than Risacher, perhaps filling their need for a long-term fit at shooting guard.
With the No. 4 and No. 8 picks, the Hawks could select Clingan and Williams.
Victor Wembanyama’s A Fan
The Spurs haven’t quite tipped their hand, but there’s plenty of reason to believe they would move up to secure Risacher. They’ve selected Frenchmen in back-to-back drafts, sowing the seeds that could lead to San Antonio drafting him. Indeed, with the confidence that face of the franchise Victor Wembanyama has in him, he could be quite an attractive option at the top of the draft.
“I got to spend a little bit of time with him,” Wembanyama tells ESPN’s Andrew Lopez. “And we were both really young at the time, but back then even sometimes he practiced with us and he was just doing some crazy things in terms of talent.”
“And he’s just all around. He can do pretty much everything. He’s very long, can block a lot of shots and offensively he can just let him do his thing. He’s had the chance to have a professional start like very few do. I mean, in Europe, very few players can get from the youth programs to the professional, and he’s one of them and he’s actually dominating this year. He was an all-star in France. So yeah, I mean, it’s all going well so far. I’m proud of what he’s doing.”
“He’s definitely up there in that draft class,” Wembanyama adds. “I probably don’t know anybody more talented than him in this draft class.”
That sounds like a strong case for him to go No. 1.
With the Spurs taking Wembanyama’s opinions into consideration during the draft process, his praise of Risacher should hold a lot of weight. It doesn’t hurt that San Antonio shot just 34.7 percent from 3 in 2023-24, third-worst in the NBA. Shooting 38.7 percent from 3 in 2023-24, Risacher has a great chance to help them improve in that area.
