Execs believe Hawks have these two prospects at the top of draft board

The Finals are over, and all eyes are now on the NBA Draft as the Hawks hold the No. 1 overall pick.

The rumor mill should begin to pick up speed in the coming days leading up to June 26, but as of right now, it seems there are a couple of prospects that are a cut above the rest, with one gaining a ton of steam.

“Many executives around the league believe (Zaccharie) Risacher and (Donovan) Clingan are the two names at the top of the Hawks’ draft board,” Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints writes.

While the early favorite for much of the draft process has been Alex Sarr, the Hawks have seemingly taken a liking to the 7-foot UConn star, particularly head coach Quin Snyder.

“There is a growing belief that the Hawks like Clingan much better than anyone else available at the top of the draft,” Siegel continued.

The Hawks have to weigh a couple of factors when discussing what to do with their top pick. The first is the fit with the organization and Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, whomever the club decides to build around. The second is the ability to immediately impact the game for Atlanta, but that’s a double-edged sword because the Hawks front office needs to balance short-term impact and long-term upside with their first pick.

The Hawks have the ability to make a franchise-crippling or altering decision with the No. 1 overall pick. An argument could be made that Atlanta should just take the safest option, even if that prospect doesn’t have the highest ceiling. On the other side of that, the same argument could be made that this club isn’t winning a championship without a superstar next to Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, so they might as well swing for the fences.

It’s a decision that I’m happy not to have to grapple with.

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