ESPN's Brian Windhorst Says the Hawks Are Signaling Alex Sarr is Still in Contention For the No. 1 Pick

Who are the Atlanta Hawks going to select with the No. 1 pick?

Potential No. 1 Pick Alex Sarr / NBA.com

Welcome to NBA Draft Week.

This year is different for Atlanta Hawks fans, as their team has the No. 1 pick and the franchise faces a lot of difficult decisions over the next few weeks. First things first though, the Hawks have to decide what to do with the No. 1 pick.

While French big man Alex Sarr was the presumed favorite for the No. 1 pick once the Hawks won the Draft Lottery, Zaccharie Risacher and Donovan Clingan have been the more prominent names mentioned. The reason for that has been rumors surrounding Sarr and the Hawks, with the Hawks not being able to bring him in for a private workout and Sarr reportedly preferring to play for the Washington Wizards.

On the latest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN NBA analyst Brian Windhorst had draft analyst Jonathan Givony on and they talked about the situation with Sarr:

"He does not seem like he really wants to play for the Hawks, even though he would be the No. 1 pick. He elected not to come and workout for them and it makes you wonder... now the Hawks have said privately is... they did meet with him at the NBA Combine, they have done their whole batch of research on him, they have seen him play, they have his medicals, they have his testing, they have talked to people as coaches, they have done their due diligence. They say they would still take him and that he is in consideration for the No. 1 pick, with Risacher and maybe another player or two. Naturally, people think about Eli Manning here and the idea that you don't want to be the No. 1 pick."

Windhorst then asked Givony about his thoughts on the situation:

"I have been told that it is not so much that Alex Sarr does not want to play for Atlanta as much as he prefers to play for the Washington Wizards and maybe that is semantics, maybe that is a polite way of saying it, but when you look at the Washington Wizards depth chart and you compare it to the Atlanta Hawks depth chart with Jalen Johnson at the four, De'Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, Clint Capela, I understand their point of view where they are looking at the Wizards depth chart and they are saying, Marvin Bagley, Richaun Holmes, Kyle Kuzma... he probably views himself as more of a three. Alex Sarr probably looks at that and says the opportunity there for minutes and to play a really featured role is really attractive."

This talk of the Hawks still being interested in Sarr is a possible ploy to get the Wizards to trade up to the No. 1 pick. It is possible the Hawks view him as the No. 1 player in this class and will take him despite not coming in for a workout and his reported preference to play for the Wizards.

At last Monday's pre-draft press conference, Hawks general manager Landry Fields had this to say about Sarr:

"He is a good player, projected to go pretty high from what I have heard. He has a lot of tools that you would want at the NBA level."

While Sarr is talked as being a high-level player on the defensive end of the floor, there are a lot of questions about his offensive game. Fields was asked about that and what he thought about Sarr's potential progression on that end:

"I think with Sarr and the other guys, you are going to see some areas that they have to grow in. So for a guy that we bring in, we are going to think very highly of"

For the past few weeks though, Givony has been mocking Risacher to the Hawks at ESPN and that did not change in his latest mock draft that was released this morning. Givony had more intel on the Hawks, including that they might not know exactly what they are doing yet, a trade-down scenario, and the possibility that Alex Sarr is still the pick:

"The Hawks continue to signal that they have not yet determined their draft night direction, which makes sense considering the nature of this draft, how even the talent at the top is and trade opportunities that could unfold once they are on the clock.

They simultaneously have decisions to make with players already on their roster, especially Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, who seem destined to part ways in the not-too-distant future. The New Orleans Pelicans loom as a potential destination for one of them, with Brandon Ingram the most attractive and attainable target on the Pels' roster. Jalen Johnson appears to be the only player the Hawks will not consider moving.

Risacher, as he has for much of the pre-draft cycle, continues to hold firm as the choice at No. 1 following a positive workout with Atlanta. The feedback from those who have seen him in the United States is that he is a better passer and does a better job of initiating contact and playing through physicality than is expected with his lean frame.

Donovan Clingan, another favorite of the Hawks' coaching staff, remains in play at No. 1, but he might be a more realistic option if the Hawks trade down a few spots with the San Antonio Spurs, something that might not materialize until the Spurs are on the clock at No. 4.

The Hawks getting back their 2025 unprotected first-rounder from San Antonio would be a huge boon, but it isn't clear whether the Spurs would be willing to pay such a high price, while other great trade opportunities do not appear to have materialized thus far.

NBA teams say the Hawks are indicating they could take Alex Sarr at No. 1, which some speculate might be more an attempt to force the Washington Wizards to trade up."

Last week, prominent NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports had some reporting on what teams behind Atlanta think the Hawks will do on Wednesday night:

"Atlanta will listen at No. 1, but the Hawks appear intent on holding firm, sources said, while the front office finalizes which prospect to select at the top of a draft class that’s full of question marks. At this point, most team personnel picking in the slots behind Atlanta believe the Hawks will ultimately choose between French wing Zaccharie Risacher and UConn center Donovan Clingan."

Fischer also had this to say about the Hawks and Clint Capela:

"Atlanta, sources said, continues to pursue deals for veteran center Clint Capela, who’s entering the final year of a contract that still owes the 30-year-old rim protector $22 million."

I would still lean toward the Hawks selecting Risacher right now, but there is still plenty of uncertainty out there. The Hawks have a little more than 48 hours to make one of their most important decisions of the summer.