Report: Pelicans Trade 4th Pick in NBA Draft to Hawks; ATL Wants De'Andre Hunter
June 20, 2019
The Atlanta Hawks have reportedly acquired the No. 4 overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft from the New Orleans Pelicans, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
New Orleans will receive four draft picks—Nos. 8, 17 and 35 in this draft and a protected first-round pick (via Cleveland) in 2020—while Atlanta will also get the No. 57 pick, a future second-rounder and veteran forward Solomon Hill.
Per Wojnarowski, the Hawks are targeting De'Andre Hunter with the No. 4 pick.
The Pelicans received the fourth pick over the weekend as part of the deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers.
New Orleans now has a chance to acquire more young talent while also clearing Hill's $12.8 million salary for 2019-20 off the books.
Depending on who falls, the Pelicans can still got a top talent like Jarrett Culver, Coby White or Cam Reddish at No. 8.
Meanwhile, the Hawks were aggressive to get the fourth pick knowing how the top three selections will shake out:
If Atlanta does select Hunter, it would have quality young players across positions 1-4. The Virginia product could slot in next to Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and John Collins in the starting lineup next season.
Hunter's defensive ability will also be extremely valuable on a squad that allowed the most points per game in the NBA last season.
The Hawks are reportedly considering Reddish at No. 8 as well, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.
With Atlanta also holding onto the No. 10 pick it acquired from Dallas last season, it has a chance to make a lot of noise in this draft.