2024 NBA Draft: Rumors Heating up a Week Before Draft Night

The NBA Draft is right around the corner and the drama is heating up. What are the biggest rumors circulating around the draft?

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Draft is on Wednesday, June 26, and Thursday, June 27, which is just under a week away. With the draft being so close, a lot of drama, rumors and smokescreens are going wild. Let’s dive into some of the news circulating draft circles.

Atlanta Hawks Plans At No. 1

As of today it seems that the Atlanta Hawks plan to keep the draft pick and not trade it away. They are considering three prospects right now between Zaccharie Risacher, Alexandre Sarr and Donovan Clingan.

It’s rumored that the Hawks have struggled to get Sarr in for a private workout which could indicate he would prefer not to play for the Hawks. As of today it seems as if Risacher is the favorite to be the top overall pick, but Clingan is certainly loved by the Hawks organization and is a dark horse to be the top pick in this year’s draft.

Is Alexandre Sarr a Lock To The Wizards?

The 7-foot-1 big man has yet to workout for the Hawks and it looks like he doesn’t have any plans of doing so which could mean he prefers to not land in Atlanta. The Washington Wizards are selecting at No. 2, and they lack a ton of talent at the center position which is where Sarr will end up playing.

Teams, NBA personnel and agents believe that if the Hawks don't draft Sarr, the Wizards will end up drafting him as he’s at the top of their draft board. A French connection between Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly could be coming soon.

Donovan Clingan’s Interesting Draft Range

Clingan has been tied to the Atlanta Hawks with the top pick in this year’s draft, but if the Hawks elect to go in a different direction, how much does he fall? The teams selecting three through eight all have starting center’s set in place so does a team say screw it and stack their center position?

Does Clingan slip to nine where the Memphis Grizzlies are selecting and they have shown a ton of interest in the two time national champion as they would be willing to trade up in the draft to even land him. I’d anticipate a team trading up to land him, but it’s really unknown what pick he will be as his range is one through nine.

Reed Sheppard Moving To Texas

Reed Sheppard had a phenomenal year at Kentucky where he shot over 50% from behind the arc and averaged over two steals per game. He was arguably the best player on the Wildcats this past season and because of his great season he’s projected to be a top eight pick in this year’s draft. 

It’s very likely we could see Sheppard end up in Houston or San Antonio as the Rockets hold the third pick and the Spurs hold the fourth and eighth pick in this year’s draft. The Rockets have a ton of interest and intrigue with his fit next to Amen Thompson. Sheppard would add much needed shooting to the Rockets or the Spurs.

Dalton Knecht’s Slim Draft Range

Tennessee landed the best transfer in all of college basketball last year in Dalton Knecht as he went on to have a phenomenal year for the Volunteers averaging close to 22 points per game. It seems as if his draft range is very small as he’s projected to go as high as number four and as low as number nine in this year’s draft.

The talented scoring wing is a three level scorer that has solid athleticism and a strong frame. Most scouts believe he’s very NBA ready and one of the few guys in this year’s draft that’s ready to make an impact right away regardless of what team he ends up on.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.