The Atlanta Hawks, possessors of the No. 1 pick, are either unsure of how to handle the pick or are so tightly lipped about their process that everyone thinks they're unsure about it.
Either way, it's "unclear what Atlanta will do with the first pick," per The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, who added the Hawks like UConn center Donovan Clingan but "would ideally prefer to trade down" for him.
That's a sensible stance, provided they could find a willing trade partner, of course. That could be the tricky part. Is there a front office out there infatuated with Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr or any other candidate for the top spot? There could be, but it can't help Atlanta's negotiating power that the Washington Wizards (who have the No. 2 pick) and Houston Rockets (No. 3) are reportedly "also listening to trade offers for their selections," per O'Connor.
If the Hawks see Clingan as the best prospect in this class—or at least the best one for them—they should be careful about trying to extract value in a trade before adding him. It doesn't look like teams will be a fortune to move up, plus Clingan stands as one of the draft's most logical trade-up targets given his potentially immense impact on the defensive end.
