NBA Exec: Trade Value for 1st Pick Is ‘Maybe the 4th or 5th Starter on a Decent Team’

zach bacharContributor IMay 13, 2024

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Without a consensus top prospect in the 2024 NBA draft class, the No. 1 overall pick doesn’t seem to hold as much value in potential trades compared to previous years.

On Monday’s Bill Simmons Podcast, Ryen Russillo of The Ringer revealed that he spoke to an executive regarding the type of player that the top pick could return in a trade (1:22:33 mark). Despite the value of a No. 1 pick, the executive predicted that a deal would only include “maybe the fourth or fifth starter on a decent team.”

Russillo added that another organization views the value of the top 2024 draft choice as “the seventh or eighth pick in a normal draft.”

During Sunday’s draft lottery, the Atlanta Hawks moved up to the top spot for the first time in the organization’s history. After the intense hype surrounding Victor Wembanyama ahead of the 2023 draft, there hasn’t been as much fanfare regarding the top of the 2024 class.

However, Hawks general manager Landry Fields told reporters that moving the No. 1 pick wasn’t something that the front office would be focusing on shortly after the lottery results were revealed.

Bally Sports South @BallySportsSO.@ATLHawks GM Landry Fields on whether they plan to keep the No. 1 pick: “Not even our focus right now.” pic.twitter.com/8xymqjnQ0H

In his latest mock draft, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman wrote that “at least five prospects could be in play for Atlanta in a draft that still has no consensus No. 1.”

French power forward Alex Sarr was selected by the Hawks with the top pick in Wasserman’s mock draft, drawing comparisons to former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. as veteran Clint Capela’s eventual replacement.

Still, Fields may change his mind regarding a trade if the organization wants to operate with a win-now mindset surrounding star point guard Trae Young.