Atlanta Hawks dump former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher after disappointing two-year stint

Zaccharie Risacher is probably a name you haven’t heard much since he was selected first overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.

After two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Risacher is already on the move.

Another NBA trade dropped Sunday, sending the 21-year-old to the Dallas Mavericks and bringing Atlanta’s underwhelming gamble to an early end.

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Atlanta received Lu Dort from the Thunder, Oklahoma City secured two second-round picks, and Dallas landed Risacher and guard Ryan Nembhard from the Hawks.

Top picks rarely get cut loose this quickly. While draft-night trades happen in minutes and Andrew Wiggins was famously flipped 57 days post-draft for Kevin Love before ever putting on a Cavaliers jersey, a top pick getting dealt for purely basketball-related reasons after two years is a whole different category of rare.

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Moving on after just 142 career games puts Risacher in rare company alongside Markelle Fultz, who was traded from Philadelphia after 33 games across two injury-plagued seasons, and Pervis Ellison, who lasted just one year in Sacramento before being shipped out.

Unlike Fultz or Ellison, Risacher wasn’t sidelined by a shoulder condition or persistent health red flags. Atlanta simply pulled the plug, deciding not to stick with the top pick after just two seasons.

Zaccharie Risacher drives past Chris Paul during a game at Frost Bank Center.

Zaccharie Risacher reacts after a 3-point basket against the Toronto Raptors in Atlanta.

Risacher was part of an underwhelming 2024 NBA Draft class that featured names like Alex Sarr and Cody Williams in the top 10. Risacher was far from the runaway No. 1 overall projection, with many arguing for Sarr at the time.

That year’s poor selections were also underscored by Wembanyama going the year prior and Cooper Flagg a year later.

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The 6-foot-8 Risacher entered the league as a long, two-way wing whose upside was tied to his shot-making. He averaged 12.6 points as a rookie before slipping to 9.6 in his second season.