The 2024 NBA Draft is nine days away and the Atlanta Hawks have a huge decision to make. The Hawks jumped up to the No. 1 pick after having a 3% chance to do so and they have been going through a thorough process in trying to determine what they are going to do with the No. 1 pick. The three players that have been mentioned the most have been Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, and Donovan Clingan, with Risacher and Clingan being the most talked about at this stage.

While it is not known who the Hawks are going to take with the No. 1 pick, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz revealed what he thought the Hawks top priority should be:

Atlanta Hawks: Best Player, Not Best Fit

Draft Pick Owned: 1 overall

“The Atlanta Hawks aren’t your typical No. 1 overall pick team coming off a season in which they won 36 games, made the play-in tournament and have a few All-Stars already on the roster.

Drafting for fit is tempting, but the Hawks should take whoever they deem to be the best player available.

Most mock drafts have either tabbed Alex Sarr or Zaccharie Risacher in this spot, giving Atlanta a defensive-minded big or two-way wing to place alongside Trae Young, Dejounte Murray or both depending on how the rest of the offseason goes.

The Hawks should also be entertaining trade offers for the No. 1 overall pick if another star become available.”

I would agree that the team should take the best player available (which is what all teams should do honestly), but who they think that is is a huge question. There are split opinions on who the top player in this draft class is, but most seem to think that is Sarr and he wolud be who I took with the No. 1 pick.

Atlanta has struggled on the defensive end of the floor for the past few seasons and lacks size, athleticism, and length, which Sarr brings in droves. He is 7’1, 220 LBS, and has a 7’4 wingspan. He uses his athleticism well and would be an impact guy on that end of the floor immediately. He is arguably the highest-ceiling prospect in the draft at a position of need for the Hawks.

Today, Atlanta Hawks General Manager Landry Fields met with the media and answered questions ahead of the 2024 Draft. Fields was asked about Sarr towards the end of his presser and here is what he had to say:

“He is a good player, projected to go pretty high from what I have hear. 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”

Fields was also asked about the possibility of trading back and getting multiple picks versus staying at No. 1 and here is what he had to say:

“Yeah, so we as a group have looked at a ton of different scenarios, keep the pick, trade back in the draft, and all of the things that you are talking about and where we are right now is that we will pick No. 1, but yeah I don’t think it would be wise for us to not go over those scenarios, but there have been a ton that we have gone over and we will continuously go over those as well.”

When asked if he was committed to using the No. 1 pick, here was Fields answer:

It seems like everything is on the table for the Hawks and a lot can change in the next week. Fields also talked about how locked in the Hawks board is right now and what it would take for a player to jump another and get to No. 1:

“I would say that a week ago, it was wider than it is now, the board is definetly shaping up and tiering itself out. In order to be No. 1, it has to be a guy that we see as a great fit for us, not just for the next day, but for the future as well.”

Fields mentioned that they are going to bring in more prospects for workouts this week as well. It is going to be an interesting week or so for Fields and the rest of the front office as they try and sort out what they want to do with the No. 1 pick.