ATLANTA–11Alive Sports will be blogging throughout Draft Night, as we chronicle the Atlanta Hawks' four draft choices (3, 19, 30, 33), along with other noteworthy moments from the evening.
ENTRY #1
At 5:20 p.m., the draft order for the top 15 selections remains unchanged:
TOP 15 PICKS
1. Phoenix–C DeAndre Ayton
2. Sacramento–PF Marvin Bagley III
3. Atlanta–SG/SF Luka Doncic (traded to Mavericks)
4. Memphis–SF/PF Jaren Jackson Jr.
5. Dallas–PG Trae Young (traded to Hawks)
6. Orlando–C Mohamed Bamba
7. Chicago–C Wendell Carter, Jr.
8. Cleveland–PG Collin Sexton
9. New York–SF Kevin Knox
10. Philadelphia–SG Mikal Bridges (traded to Suns)
11. Charlotte–PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (traded to Clippers)
12. L.A. Clippers–SF Miles Bridges (traded to Hornets)
13. L.A. Clippers–SF Jerome Robinson
14. Denver–SF Michael Porter Jr.
15. Washington–SG Troy Brown
ENTRY #2
I penned my second and final mock draft for 11Alive Sports earlier today. Click here to view Version 2.0 of the mock, which doesn't account for any trade speculation.
ENTRY #3
Perusing a number of Web sites, the consensus arrangement has either Slovenian playmaker Luka Doncic or Duke power forward Marvin Bagley III earmarked for the Hawks (No. 3 overall).
In other words, whichever talent gets bypassed by the Kings (No. 2) will be happily scooped up by Atlanta.
That's all fine and good, since this draft offers excellent 'upside' talent throughout the first 15 slots (and beyond).
However, I'm still sticking to my gut call here, in terms of Atlanta rolling the dice with Michigan State's Jaren Jackson Jr., who has tremendous promise at three different positions (small forward, power forward, center).
ENTRY #4
Take this entry with a grain of salt. Check out this frivolous report from the anonymous @NBADraftGod:
"Resigned to the fact that LeBron James will not be back w/ the team next season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have offered Kevin Love to the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 3 and 19 picks."
Let's humor this Tweet for a moment and break down the proposed swap:
**The Hawks, who most likely won't sniff the Eastern Conference playoffs this season (or next), would be ravaging their salary cap for three years and $72 million ($24 million annually) ... just to miss the postseason.
**If Atlanta waited to trade Love until the final year of his massive deal, the player would be heading into his age-32 season, decreasing the chances of getting a robust return.
**And most important of all ... the Hawks' chances of building a long-term contender through the draft would essentially be kaput, without the presumptively formidable pieces coming at 3 and 19.
For Cleveland, though, this never-gonna-happen trade would give the Cavaliers an immediate chance to rebuild on the fly, owning three choices in the top 19 (3, 8, 19).
ENTRY #5
In a shocker to no one, the Phoenix Suns snagged Arizona center DeAndre Ayton with the top pick. In fact, a college freshman has now served as the NBA's No. 1 overall pick for nine consecutive years (2010-18).
On the plus side, Ayton possesses a body like Zeus, great footwork around the basket, superb two-way skills and the capacity to carry Phoenix to playoff contention, in a relatively short time.
(It also helps to have Devin Booker lighting up the league.)
On the down side, given Ayton's incredible upside and local ties to Arizona, the Suns essentially had no public recourse for passing on Ayton ... without angering the fan base.
ENTRY #6
This just in: According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hawks (No. 3) and Mavericks (No. 5) have swapped lottery selections, with Atlanta presumably collecting Dallas's first-round pick in 2019.
ENTRY #7
Well, for once, the wildfire rumors were completely rooted in fact.
As had been speculated roughly an hour before NBA commissioner Adam Silver took the podium in Brooklyn, New York, the Hawks selected the Slovenian-born Luka Doncic (No. 3 overall) but then traded his rights to the Mavericks for a package that included the No. 5 pick ... and Dallas' first-rounder for 2019 (top-five protected).
Two slots down, Atlanta happily snagged Trae Young–the only player in Division I history to lead the NCAA in points and assists (same season)–with the fifth selection, a move which makes perfect sense on four fronts:
a) The rebuilding Hawks are wisely stockpiling (presumptive) high picks for the coming seasons. It's the prudent path for long-term roster construction.
b) Trae Young may be this draft's most electric singular talent, with the capacity for scoring 30-plus points, burying six-plus triples or racking up 15-plus assists every night.
Young's most recognized comp among NBA veterans: Two-time MVP Stephen Curry.
c) Before coming to Atlanta, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk helped build the Warriors into their current dynastic form; and he presumably believes Young can be a transcendent performer.
d) With Philips Arena undergoing a massive renovation, the Hawks will need a signature asset to sell tickets.
ENTRY #8
Former Pace Academy star Wendell Carter Jr. was drafted No. 7 overall by the Chicago Bulls. This prompted us to dust off the history books for the following nugget:
ENTRY #9
The Hawks won't be hurting for shooters this coming season.
At No. 19, the franchise scored from long distance again, corralling Maryland's Kevin Huerter midway through the first round ... and 14 slots after the Hawks landed Oklahoma scorer Trae Young (No. 5 overall–after a trade).
Back in May, Huerter (two years of college eligibility) wasn't viewed as a serious candidate for remaining in the draft. But his workouts at the NBA Combin obviously caught the fancy of league scouts and executives.
Most notably Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk.
The Huerter positives are easy to celebrate: The kid has near-unlimited range from beyond the arc (42 percent, 50 percent overall with Maryland last season), the byproduct of having ideal balance and a picture-perfect release at the top of his shot.
Huerter's also a sneaky-good rebounder, averaging five boards per game for the Terrapins last year.
ENTRY #10
Atlanta wrapped up the first round with Omari Spellman at 30th overall. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound bruiser made an immediate impact at Villanova, averaging 10.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks as a freshman and helping the Wildcats cruise to their second national championship in two years.
Of equal importance, Spellman shot 43 percent from beyond the arc, making him a solid candidate for new coach Lloyd Pierce's space-oriented system with the Hawks.
Spellman ended up being the final choice for Atlanta. Four choices later, Kansas guard Devonte Graham was traded for two future second-round picks.
