3. De’Andre Hunter
With the Pelicans electing not to bring back Jaxson Hayes, many people probably have been reflecting on the team’s decision-making in the 2019 NBA Draft. What if we hadn’t drafted Hayes with the eighth overall pick?
Some of you may have forgotten this, but we didn’t always have the eighth overall pick in that draft. Heading into the night, we controlled two picks lottery picks. The first and fourth overall selections. The first pick was used on, of course, our franchise cornerstone Zion Williamson.
Meanwhile, the fourth pick was then traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a monster draft day deal (one that included us getting off of Solomon Hill’s infamous contract). The Hawks used this pick to get Hunter, so, technically speaking, Hunter was a member of the Pelicans without playing a single minute for the team.
And while hindsight is 20/20, it would have been nice if Hunter did end up playing minutes for the Pelicans. While his contract isn’t the best, at least the team that drafted him actually offered him a second contract.
Hunter is a starting-caliber player. He’s a big body, an above-average defender, and a respectable outside shooter. Like Williamson, Hunter has had his fair share of health problems over the years. But one can’t help but envision how well Hunter would fit alongside Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Trey Murphy III. That’s a futuristic four-man core that features length, athleticism, and shooting.
It’s too bad he never ended up playing a single minute for the Pelicans.