ESPN has moved Zaccharie Risacher to the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 1 pick in their latest mock draft.
Every team drafting in the top-5 has interest in Risacher, who is not expected to fall out of the top-2.
During the playoffs, Risacher averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, shooting 67% from the field and 38% on 3-pointers.
The direction of the Hawks remains unclear as Trae Young and Dejounte Murray are trade candidates and while they will definitively retool their roster, it remains to be seen if their ownership will embrace a rebuild. A further complication of any desire to rebuild stems from their decision to trade away control of their next three drafts to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the Murray deal in 2022.
The Minnesota Timberwolves project to have one of the NBA’s most expensive teams next season. The Wolves have nearly $191 million in guaranteed salary on their books for nine players. That figure is already over the projected second apron of $189.5 million, before the team finishes filling out the roster.
That sort of spending is unprecedented in Minnesota’s history. However, as the team’s ownership battle plays out, both sets of owners indicate they’ll pay to keep the team together.
Glen Taylor, who retains majority ownership of the Wolves, and Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have each given the impression that they won’t break the team up because of the tax. The challenge is that the second apron makes building out the rest of the roster a major challenge. That could eventually force the team’s hand in making some changes to alleviate the high payroll.
Minnesota Timberwolves primary governor Glen Taylor plans to meet with president of basketball operations Tim Connelly to discuss Connelly’s future with the team. Connelly can opt out of his contract in the coming days. The Wolves ownership battle could be a factor in Connelly’s decision to stay or to pursue other opportunities.
The Detroit Pistons were rumored to be interested in hiring Connelly to run their front office, but have since hired Trajan Langdon. That came as a relief to Minnesota, as it removed a primary contender, should Connelly opt out of his deal.
Taylor remains in full control, as he still owns the majority stake of the Timberwolves. Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez contend that Taylor acted in bad faith, by backing out of an agreement to sell the team to them. That fight doesn’t seem close to a resolution any time soon.
