Hawks shopping Clint Capela

Entering the NBA draft on May 29, 1975, Thompson knew he would go No. 1 to the Hawks, who had won a coin flip with the Los Angeles Lakers for that selection. He was helping out at a Rhode Island basketball camp hosted by Providence College coach Dave Gavitt when the official word came of his selection. “I got a call from my agent,’’ said Thompson, referring to Larry Fleisher, who died in 1989. “There wasn’t much fanfare around the draft like there is now. But it felt pretty good to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. That was a big deal.” At that point, Thompson already had been talking to the Nuggets, who were confident of getting his rights from the Squires after his selection in the ABA draft earlier that month. He already had been to Denver for a visit.