NBA Draft 2019: Hawks would reportedly pass on Ja Morant at No. 2 overall, may target Jarrett Culver

[blkbigdog35 5,869]

NBA Draft 2019: Hawks would reportedly pass on Ja Morant at No. 2 overall, may target Jarrett Culver

https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2019/5/14/18623875/nba-draft-2019-hawks-would-reportedly-pass-on-ja-morant-at-no-2-overall-may-target-jarrett-culver

With only a few hours until the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, the Atlanta Hawks are awaiting the result of ping-pong balls alongside the rest of the league. The team is in a strong position, with the potential for two picks in the top ten, but an intriguing notion came to light on Tuesday afternoon from Sean Deveney of Sporting News. 

Deveney indicates that the Hawks are “chief among” teams that would not target Murray State point guard Ja Morant at No. 2 overall if, of course, the lottery dictated that Atlanta arrived in that slot. In fact, Deveney flatly states that “if the Hawks land at No. 2, they won’t draft Morant.” That sentiment does not come as a massive surprise given the presence of top-flight point guard Trae Young and Deveney indicates that, as you may expect, a trade would be a possibility if Travis Schlenk and company found themselves in the runner-up position on lottery night. 

Beyond that, however, Deveney brings word that league sources say “the Hawks favor Texas Tech wing Jarrett Culver, believing that his blend of athleticism and defensive prowess will make for a smooth transition to the league and that he can develop enough of a 3-point shot to be effective in the NBA.” 

It should be noted that Atlanta could likely acquire Culver at a later draft slot but, ultimately, Deveney’s sources indicate that, “if Atlanta winds up with the second pick, their choice likely would come down to Culver or a trade.”

As part of his pre-lottery media availability, Schlenk was prompted about the potential to select a point guard (and, particularly, Morant) and he was non-committal on the subject. 

“If we feel like he was the best player, we’re going to take a long hard look at it,” Schlenk said. “A lot of that is going to be played out on the 14th, when we figure out where we are. Teams want point guards and point guards have value too, and I think last year proved that we’re not scared to take a pick and collect more assets. These lottery picks are the most valuable things we have, so we have to maximize those.”

At this early stage, rumors are already flying and it is (very) important to note that the Hawks have only a 10.5 percent chance to land in the No. 2 spot by the end of May 14. Still, this is interesting food for thought, particularly through the lens of the team’s reported interest in Culver.

[Drew4719 2,881]

If we get #2 they better draft RJ Barret and not think twice.

[FalconFanSince1970 19,666]

If we land in the two spot i'd take Ja. Even with Tre on the roster. Together they would be a force the league would struggle to defend. Plus we have a need for a back up PG. We could keep a beast PG on the floor the entire game. Plus double dip em for 5-10 minutes a game and really cause some problems. The Hawks probably wouldn't take Ja and would either trade down, or take somebody like Barrett, Hunter or Culver if they stayed in the two spot. I wouldn't.

[Beef 2,346]

27 minutes ago, Drew4719 said:

If we get #2 they better draft RJ Barret and not think twice.

If we get #2, we need to make a big trade with the Suns who desperately want Morant.  So much so that they said if they got the #1 pick, they would likely still pick Morant over Zion.

[No.11 6,204]

48 minutes ago, FalconFanSince1970 said:

If we land in the two spot i'd take Ja. Even with Tre on the roster. Together they would be a force the league would struggle to defend. Plus we have a need for a back up PG. You could keep a beast PG on the floor the entire game. Plus double dip em for 5-10 minutes a game and really cause some problems. The Hawks probably wouldn't take Ja and would either trade down, or take somebody like Barrett, Hunter or Culver if they stayed at second.

Come on dude, Ja ain't a backup.

[FalconFanSince1970 19,666]

19 minutes ago, Beef said:

If we get #2, we need to make a big trade with the Suns who desperately want Morant.  So much so that they said if they got the #1 pick, they would likely still pick Morant over Zion.

Yeah Schlenk could go back to back trade down drafts and get even richer. 

[Drew4719 2,881]

Freaking joke so rigged, Lakers top 4 LMAO!

[blkbigdog35 5,869]

@youngbloodzboy top 4 pick for y’all 

[D.B.N. 3,480]

We got hosed. 

[youngbloodz 11,633]

5 minutes ago, blkbigdog35 said:

@youngbloodzboy top 4 pick for y’all 

Yeah I was dreaming of a top 2 lol. But I'm happy with the 4th pick. Hope we don't blow it. 

[youngbloodz 11,633]

Morant is going to a star though. He reminds me of Damian Lilliard 

[Beef 2,346]

3 teams with a less than 9% chance of getting the top slots they got.

3 teams had over a 91% chance of getting a better pick than they got.

Think about that. 

That’s a lot of strange luck/unluck.

[UGABOZ 1,268]

terrible nba is rigged

[blkbigdog35 5,869]

9 hours ago, youngbloodz said:

Yeah I was dreaming of a top 2 lol. But I'm happy with the 4th pick. Hope we don't blow it. 

Max player and a high draft pick and you guys can be competitive again!

[LightningDawg58 1,191]

13 hours ago, FalconFanSince1970 said:

If we land in the two spot i'd take Ja. Even with Tre on the roster. Together they would be a force the league would struggle to defend. Plus we have a need for a back up PG. We could keep a beast PG on the floor the entire game. Plus double dip em for 5-10 minutes a game and really cause some problems. The Hawks probably wouldn't take Ja and would either trade down, or take somebody like Barrett, Hunter or Culver if they stayed in the two spot. I wouldn't.

That’s my mindset about Coby White, dude would be able to maintain our up tempo offense off the bench and is big enough to play some SG next to Trae for extended stretches

[youngbloodz 11,633]

4 hours ago, blkbigdog35 said:

Max player and a high draft pick and you guys can be competitive again!

I don't know who wants to play with Bron as a max player. Anthony Davis but probably.

[jidady 5,284]

If there's any truth to the rumor, we will explore using both our top 10 picks to move up for Culver. I would be okay with that.

[blkbigdog35 5,869]

8 hours ago, youngbloodz said:

I don't know who wants to play with Bron as a max player. Anthony Davis but probably.

Yeah AD for sure but with Zion potentially going to N.O.   They may want to hold on to him!

[youngbloodz 11,633]

4 minutes ago, blkbigdog35 said:

Yeah AD for sure but with Zion potentially going to N.O.   They may want to hold on to him!

Zion talking about he might go back to Duke

[blkbigdog35 5,869]

Just now, youngbloodz said:

Zion talking about he might go back to Duke

Damm for real??

[youngbloodz 11,633]

1 minute ago, blkbigdog35 said:

Damm for real??

That's what espn reported bout 30 mins ago. I would laugh so hard

[blkbigdog35 5,869]

9 minutes ago, youngbloodz said:

That's what espn reported bout 30 mins ago. I would laugh so hard

Zion Williamson still has options if he doesn't want to play for the Pelicans

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/05/zion-williamson-pelicans-trade-options-duke-draft-lottery-new-orleans-nba

Reading this article I found out that he hasn’t signed an agent yet, but this would be hilarious if N.O. Gets punked, lol!!

[youngbloodz 11,633]

Just now, blkbigdog35 said:

Zion Williamson still has options if he doesn't want to play for the Pelicans

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/05/zion-williamson-pelicans-trade-options-duke-draft-lottery-new-orleans-nba

Reading this article I found out that he hasn’t signed an agent yet, but this would be hilarious if N.O. Gets punked, lol!!

And I love it!

[JayOzOne 15,214]

49 minutes ago, blkbigdog35 said:

Zion Williamson still has options if he doesn't want to play for the Pelicans

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/05/zion-williamson-pelicans-trade-options-duke-draft-lottery-new-orleans-nba

Reading this article I found out that he hasn’t signed an agent yet, but this would be hilarious if N.O. Gets punked, lol!!

None of those options work in the NBA. If he sits out for a season, he could easily wind up with the same team next year (or worse) and all he accomplished would be losing a year of service and millions of dollars. I'm not saying he wouldn't do that but it makes no logical sense. I can see the Pels calling his bluff.

 

[jayu70 925]

54 minutes ago, blkbigdog35 said:

Zion Williamson still has options if he doesn't want to play for the Pelicans

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/05/zion-williamson-pelicans-trade-options-duke-draft-lottery-new-orleans-nba

Reading this article I found out that he hasn’t signed an agent yet, but this would be hilarious if N.O. Gets punked, lol!!

It would even be funnier if he did and NOP got the 1st pick again next year .

This is ESPN pushing a narrative! They all had it lined up for Zion to NYK or LAL.

Edited Thursday at 12:36 AM by jayu70