2024 NBA Draft Rumors: UConn Center Donovan Clingan Reportedly "Made An Impression" On Atlanta During His Workout

Who will the Hawks Select With The No. 1 Pick In The 2024 NBA Draft?

Apr 6, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (2) shoots against Connecticut Huskies center Donovan Clingan (32) in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Rondone/Arizona Republic-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Rondone-Arizona Republic

The 2024 NBA Draft is now two weeks away and there continues to be speculation about what the Atlanta Hawks are actually going to do with the No.1 pick. Atlanta only had a 3% chance to even win the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, but now they have a chance to add a really good player to their future core.

While a lot of the talk around the No. 1 pick has centered (no pun intended) around French prospects Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher, there has seemingly been some momentum for UConn center Donovan Clingan to be chosen No.1 or for the Hawks to try and trade back and get Clingan.

In a recent mock draft from CBS Sports Adam Finkelstein, he has the Hawks selecting Sarr with the No. 1 pick, but he also dropped an interesting note about the Hawks and Clingan in his notes:

"I've gone back and forth on whether Atlanta will select Sarr or Risacher in recent weeks, which I believe is an appropriate reflection of some of the indecision happening in Atlanta. Sources also say Clingan not only worked out, but made an impression while doing so, fueling rumors of a potential trade down where they could target the big man and add another draft asset."

My latest mock draft is out for @CBSSports and it's loaded with intel on what we're hearing this week and the possible scenarios that front offices are plotting out. https://t.co/yJVSksliln

— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) June 11, 2024

If the Hawks wanted to trade back and take Clingan, how far back would they go and what would they get in return? There have been some mock trades with the San Antonio Spurs where they send No. 4 and No. 8 to the Hawks or they send No. 4 and one of the Hawks picks from the Dejounte Murray trade back to Atlanta, but there is no guarantee that Clingan makes it to No. 4 (or that the Spurs would do that deal to be honest with you). Clingan is a candidate to go to go to the Wizards with the No. 2 pick and there have been rumors of teams (Memphis?) trying to trade up to No. 3 to take Clingan. It is not entirely out of the question that the Rockets could stay there and take him if they view him as the clear best player available. Could the Hawks move back to No. 2? Maybe, but there have been no reports suggesting that the Wizards want to move up.

Clingan is regarded as the best college player in this draft and some view him as the safest player in the draft because of his perceived ability to be a high-level defender right away and for the potential to grow his game on the offensive end. He has drawn comparisons to four-time defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert, who played for current Hawks head coach Quin Snyder when they were in Utah. I think a Gobert comparison is lofty, but it is not hard to see where people get that idea from.

The Hawks were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last season, so it seems like a natural fit to take a high-level shot blocker and defender right? Clingan is 7'3 with a 7'7 wingspan and if you go back and watch the elite eight matchup between UConn and Illinois (his best game tape in my opinion), the Fighting Illini were not able to get anywhere near the basket and Clingan was just terrorizing anyone that tried to shoot in the paint.

Clingan averaged 13.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.5 BPG, and 1.5 APG on 63% shooting from the field and he was 2-8 (25%) on three's. As a lob threat, Clingan would be impactful right away on offense.

The defensive rebounding and the passing abilities that he shows would also be awesome fits in Atlanta. Atlanta has some players such as Jalen Johnson that are effective in cutting to the basket and Clingan's ability to find them would be an awesome thing for the Hawks to have. I am not here to say that he is the next Nikola Jokic when it comes to passing, but his ability to find open players and get the ball to them is pretty high-level for someone his size.

Buckle up over the next two weeks.