The Atlanta Hawks are on the clock, but no one knows exactly which direction the franchise will take with the No. 1 pick that they won in the 2024 NBA Lottery. Still, that is a valuable asset the Hawks could use on a potentially franchise-altering player.
Donovan Clingan to the Atlanta Hawks?
One player the Hawks have rumored to be keen on is UConn Huskies product Donovan Clingan, who played a huge role in the Dan Hurley-coached back-to-back NCAA champions, per Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (h/t Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports).
The Hawks conducted a private workout with Donovan Clingan and are showing interest in potentially selecting him, per @KevinOConnorNBA
Atlanta appears open to the idea of trading down a few spots to secure Clingan, but the process is still ongoing.
As noted by Sidery, the Hawks are still seemingly willing to listen to any trade offers for the No. 1 pick. The upcoming draft is believed to be one of the most unpredictable with no consensus top pick, unlike last year when every expert and fan in the world knew that Victor Wembanyama would go to the San Antonio Spurs. So, even if the Hawks trade down, there could at least be some chance for them to get Clingan on top of a new asset from such a potential transaction.
The defensive-minded Clingan sounds like a nice fit too in Atlanta, as the Hawks had one of the worst rim protection in the 2023-24 NBA regular season in which they were just 27th in the league with a 65.3 defensive rim field goal percentage.
In two years with UConn, Clingan averaged 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game.
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