On Sunday, Zaccharie Risacher became the NBA’s first No. 1 pick since 2017 to not make it to his third year with the team that drafted him. The Hawks traded Risacher, the top pick in 2024, to Dallas in a three-team deal that also sent Lu Dort to Atlanta.Markelle Fultz was the last former top pick not to make it to Year 3 with his initial team, and there were extenuating circumstances, to say the least, in that case. Anthony Bennett (No. 1 in 2013) went from Cleveland to Minnesota in the Kevin Love trade after just one season with the Cavaliers. Before that, Elton Brand was the last No. 1 pick traded before his third year, going from the Bulls to the Clippers.Brand shows that you cannot write Risacher off yet. Fultz and Bennett present less optimistic comparisons. The Athletic’s Christian Clark, Jason Jones and Law Murray got together to discuss the move, No. 1 picks who didn’t live up to their draft slot and what it means to be “a bust.”What does it take for a No. 1 pick to be classified as a bust, and how close is Risacher to qualifying?Clark: For a player to be considered a bust, I think the gap between the expectations placed on him and the player’s actual production needs to be massive. Risacher was undeniably disappointing in Atlanta, but I don’t think he quite meets this criterion. Perhaps then-Hawks general manager Landry Fields viewed Risacher as a future star, but I don’t think many draft analysts felt this way. Our Sam Vecenie had Risacher as the fifth player on his big board, for example, in what was considered a weak 2024 class. If Risacher doesn’t develop into a high-level role player in Dallas, I think I’d be comfortable using the bust label. I’m not there yet.Jones: “Bust” is a term I’ve always made me cringe — it just feels so mean — but I’ll play along here. In today’s NBA, I’d say if that player doesn’t have his third-year option picked up and is out of the league within five seasons, he is a bust. Picking up the third year is a given for any first-round pick that’s shown some level of competence. That happened last year with Atlanta, so Risacher isn’t quite a bust yet. But this season in Dallas will say a lot about that label. If he has no impact and is out of the league after this season, that word will follow him.Murray: We’re obviously only here because Risacher was the No. 1 pick of his draft, a class that one agent told me that he was happy not to have any clients in. The Hawks won the wrong lottery. Where does Risacher go in the 2023, 2025 or 2026 drafts at 19 years old? Anytime I have ever written about Risacher, most recently in the developmental corps project before the draft, I’ve described how he’s not the on-ball presence that most top overall picks are. A top overall pick who is a bust is one that falls far below basketball production expectations. Risacher is a bust for the Hawks, but that doesn’t mean that he has to be a bust overall, and he still has his health and a professional-caliber skill set. Now, Risacher will need to display some resolve and perseverance as well.When thinking about the success of a top pick, how much do you consider the lack of a consensus No. 1, as was the case in 2024?Clark: I think you have to consider it. Just because Risacher has the “No. 1 pick” label doesn’t mean he should be compared to Victor Wembanyama or Cooper Flagg, the top picks in 2023 and 2025, respectively. Wembanyama will be an MVP candidate every season, as long as he’s healthy. Flagg looks like a lock to be a multi-time All-Star, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all if he develops into one of the five or 10 best players in the NBA. If Risacher can even make one All-Star team in his career, it would be a shock. It’s not fair to compare him to other No. 1 picks like Wembanyama and Flagg. Risacher didn’t choose to go No. 1. The Hawks chose him.Jones: It’s a factor, but that doesn’t mean a team can’t swing and miss badly. The Hawks picked a player who couldn’t stay in the rotation. That’s just crazy. Not every pick is going to be a Hall of Famer, but I’d expect an NBA front office to be able to land a player who can stay on the court with the first pick.