Pelicans Rumors: Are the Atlanta Hawks legitimately in the Davis trade conversation?
By Cody Taylor
Picks 8, 10, and 17
Imagine landing the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft lottery when your team was projected to be awarded the seventh pick, having a disgruntled star who wants out, and then another perennial lottery team ends up with 3 Top 20 picks and players to make a deal work. I’m listening to offers.
We have looked at 5 potential draft options besides Zion Williamson whenever the Anthony Davis trade happens, but I don’t think any of us could have expected the Atlanta Hawks to end up landing the 17th pick after being awarded picks 8 and 10.
The Hawks hypothetical trade package might not have the appeal of other packages, but that’s not saying it’s not worth a look either. The 2019 NBA Draft may be top heavy but with the correct scouting, possessing three picks in the first round can expedite a rebuild. Plus having Jrue Holiday and Zion Williamson, two players that are easier to build around helps things out quite a bit too.
Players being reported to be around those picks in mock drafts include Coby White, Jaxson Hayes, Bol Bol, Kevin Porter Jr, DeAndre Hunter, Nassir Little, Keldon Johnson, and Brandon Clarke. A combination of players to team up with Zion would be crucial in years to come.
The team has lost Chris Paul and Anthony Davis to bad teams, losing seasons, and inability to give them consistency. Let’s not start the Zion Williamson era off on the wrong foot. This would show that David Griffin is going to do whatever it takes to give New Orleans a great winning product for many years to come.
Draft capital is important in trades but the draft isn’t an exact science. It is a lot of trusting your gut and trusting your coaches and scouting department to give you the information to make the best choice. But trades aren’t always about draft capital. And the New Orleans Pelicans will want good players in a trade to go and compliment draft picks the team makes. So with the ideas that can be crafted with three top 20 picks, let us look at a few players the Atlanta Hawks could send us for Anthony Davis.