New Blockbuster Draft Day Trade Proposal Sends No. 1 Pick to San Antonio, Hawks Get No. 4 Pick and 2025 First Back

Jackson Caudell | Jun 25, 2024

May 12, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Atlanta Hawks general manager Landry Fields after the Hawks get the number one pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery at McCormick Place West. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

One more day until the 2024 NBA Draft.

The Atlanta Hawks have been on the clock since the day of their shocking NBA Draft Lottery win, there has been endless speculation about what exactly the Hawks are going to do tomorrow. The three names most prominently mentioned have been French prospects Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher as well as UConn center Donovan Clingan. There has also been plenty of speculation over whether the Hawks could trade this pick, with the San Antonio Spurs being the team linked the most to trading up. While this draft has been knocked for not having any superstar prospect, there is still the potential for a wild night due to a lot of uncertainty.

So if the Hawks and Spurs did make a trade, what exactly would that look like? Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes put together a hypothetical trade package that might make sense for both teams:

The Trade

Atlanta Hawks Acquire: No. 4 pick in 2024 draft, 2025 first-round pick

San Antonio Spurs Acquire: No. 1 pick in 2024 draft, AJ Griffin

"Last week, Hawks general manager Landry Fields told reporters that "we're planning on picking one." That's exactly the kind of thing you'd say if you were trying to coax better offers out of teams that might covet the top spot in the draft.

In this hypothetical, the Spurs decide there's one prospect in the class whom they can't let get away.

Let's say for the sake of argument that Victor Wembanyama makes it known he'd like to team up with fellow Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher. To get him, San Antonio moves up three spots and surrenders its own No. 4 pick while also giving back the 2025 first-rounder Atlanta sent over in the Dejounte Murray trade.

Don't discount the value of the Hawks getting one of their own future picks back. Teams that lack their own first-rounders lose critical optionality. While Atlanta doesn't seem primed for a tank, it could take a step back this offseason by trading Trae Young or Dejounte Murray. The reacquisition of that 2025 selection would allow for some upside if the Hawks land in the lottery next year."

I actually think this would be an ideal trade for both sides. The Hawks could still get a good player at No. 4 and get their first round pick back for next season, giving them more flexibility. The Spurs would get the prospect that they want (Risacher?) and a young player in Griffin who could help fix their shooting woes. I am still a believer in Griffin, but he fell out of the rotation last year and his status is very much up in the air heading into next year.

One thing to note is that the Hawks can't trade the pick until they've actually made it. If the Hawks do take Risacher with the No. 1 pick, don't rush to think that he is a Hawk until there is confirmation or until the Spurs. One scenario that could play out is the Hawks take Risacher and see if Clingan falls to No. 4. If he does, the Spurs could take him and do the proposed trade with Atlanta. If someone trades up to No. 3 to get him, Atlanta could just keep Risacher and the Spurs take another player, most likely Reed Sheppard from Kentucky. There is a lot that could go down tomorrow night.

After the Lottery, French big man Alex Sarr was the presumed favorite for the No. 1 pick, but that has changed. There have been a lot of rumblings about Sarr not coming to workout with the Hawks and in a radio interview today, Hawks general manager Landry Fields addressed that topic:

"He was scheduled to come work out. We had it on the books and then he declined to come work out."

Fields went on to say he knew which teams Sarr did workout for, but he did not share that during the interview. Fields was also asked if he was bothered by Sarr not coming to workout for Atlanta:

"I don't take a large offense to that because it's nothing novel. This is something agents do."

He did not reveal much more about the situation, including the explanation from Sarr on why he would not workout with the Hawks.

Yesterday on an 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."

Whatever happens tomorrow night, the Hawks front office needs to make sure they are making the right decision. This is a critical point for the franchise.