Zaccharie Risacher Signs $57M Hawks Rookie Contract After Going No. 1 in NBA Draft
July 6, 2024
Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, will be available to play in Summer League for the Atlanta Hawks now that he is under contract.
The Hawks announced Risacher signed his rookie deal on Saturday.
Under the NBA's rookie scale, the total value for the No. 1 pick in this year's draft is $57 million over four years.
Risacher will earn $12.6 million in his rookie season and $13.2 million in 2025-26. His two option years are worth $13.8 million (2026-27) and $17.4 million (2027-28).
It seemed likely that Risacher's deal was at least close to being finalized on Friday. The Hawks released their official Summer League roster with the 19-year-old listed among the 13-player group.
There is a lot of hype in Atlanta for Risacher as the first No. 1 overall pick for the franchise since David Thompson in 1975. The French sensation is coming to the NBA after being named an LNB All-Star during his lone season with JL Bourg.
B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has compared Risacher's game to Harrison Barnes and Michael Porter Jr., calling him "a big shotmaking wing and complementary scorer" in the NBA.
The Hawks have done some retooling of their roster already this offseason to potentially maximize Risacher's ability to make an impact early in his career. Dejounte Murray will reportedly be traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Atlanta's offense will still run through Trae Young as long as he is on the team, but Risacher's size and shotmaking could make for an easy transition to the level of competition he will go up against.
Any sort of solid performance from Risacher this season will be a huge win for a Hawks team that needs to find building blocks it can use to get over the hump in the Eastern Conference after being in the play-in tournament each of the past three seasons.
