Pelicans Rumors: Are the Atlanta Hawks legitimately in the Davis trade conversation?
By Cody Taylor
It’s all just a matter of time before the New Orleans Pelicans trade away Anthony Davis. Should the Atlanta Hawks emerge amongst the favorites to land the disgruntled star?
Less than two weeks away from the Draft and the NBA world has been shaken to its very core. The Brooklyn Nets are trading Allen Crabbe and the number 17 overall pick and a lottery protected 2020 first round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Taurean Prince and a 2021 second round pick (per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN). With this transaction, have the Hawks entered the sweepstakes for New Orleans Pelicans’ star, Anthony Davis?
Brooklyn is trading Allen Crabbe and No. 17 pick in 2019 NBA Draft and protected first in 2020 to Atlanta for Taurean Prince and 2021 second-round pick, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 6, 2019
The Atlanta Hawks are sitting pretty in the draft with picks 8, 10, and 17 in the first round. That’s a healthy draft haul. Are they going to sit on all three picks for themselves? Are they planning on moving up in the draft? Or could they package those picks for a potential megastar? The other day it was reported, after two meetings with Anthony Davis and his agent Rich Paul, that David Griffin and the New Orleans Pelicans are officially taking phone calls from other teams for trade offers.
As teams continue placing calls on Anthony Davis, Pelicans and executive VP David Griffin have begun listening to teams, league sources told @TheAthleticNBA. Inside Pass on Davis and more from around the league: https://t.co/YjRmRT2JU2
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 4, 2019
Momentum is finally being made on moving off Anthony Davis and looking towards the future. The Lakers, Celtics, and Knicks are still being linked as the highest potential suitors to land the services of Davis but not without their own hiccups. Would the Knicks be willing to move on from an integral core piece like Mitchell Robinson, or trade their lottery pick? Are the Celtics willing to move on from players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, especially if Irving departs in free agency? Could the Lakers and Pelicans do business together? Their track record might say otherwise.
While there aren’t any reports that the Atlanta Hawks are interested in acquiring Anthony Davis, I believe they might have just intentionally or unintentionally walked themselves into the driver seat of a potential deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Hawks have significant draft capital, now possessing two picks inside the lottery and one sitting merely outside at 17th. Not at least pondering the idea of a Hawks/Pelicans trade seems foolish. Whether or not this happens or not will be up in the air but no one expected Toronto to land Kawhi Leonard last offseason so it really does go to show anything can happen. Let’s take a brief look at the assets of the Atlanta Hawks.