NBA Draft Rumors: 1 Defensive-minded prospect is becoming a trade-up favorite

NBA Draft Rumors: There's one defensive-minded big that is emerging as one of the most popular prospects in the 2024 draft class.

With the 2024 NBA Draft less than two weeks away, the interest surrounding this year's class and how the board may fall continues to evolve. And over the last few weeks, there's one prospect that has been garnering more and more hype. In fact, I don't think it would be outrageous to suggest that this one prospect has emerged as somewhat of a pre-draft process darling.

Of late, Donovan Clingan has continued to draw plenty of interest across the league. And according to a recent report, there are now several teams that are eyeing a potential trade-up in the 2024 NBA Draft in an attempt to put themselves in a position to draft Clingan.

The Chicago Bulls, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City, and Utah Jazz are all teams that have expressed interest in moving up the draft board in an attempt to select Clingan. However, with the way draft whispers have been trending, whichever team wants a good chance to select Clingan, will likely need to move up into the top 5. Recent mocks have Clingan being selected as high as No. 3 overall.

What is Donovan Clingan's realistic ceiling in the NBA?

Interestingly enough, despite this being known as a weak draft class, Clingan has gotten some solid pro comparisons. Clingan has been compared to the likes of Roy Hibbert, Jakob Poeltl, Walker Kessler, and Ivica Zubac. I'm sure there are other comparisons out there, but it's safe to say that there's a growing sentiment that Clingan is going to be an NBA player when he reaches his ceiling.

What that ceiling ends up being remains to be seen. However, he does translate as an interior defensive anchor and a prospect that still has plenty of room to grow on the offensive end of the floor. In the right system, Clingan could emerge as a key part of a team's foundational core.

The big question for Clingan is whether he can land in the right situation. One intriguing spot that could end up working best for him is landing on a team like the Memphis Grizzlies. He'd be a great replacement for Steven Adams and playing next to Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. could do wonders for him on the offensive end of the floor.

As the 2024 NBA Draft quickly approaches, Clingan has emerged as one of the most talked about prospects. And it's hard to see how that's going to change over the final two weeks before the draft arrives.