Fansided

NBA Mock Draft 2019: The chaos of this draft is only beginning

By Brendon Kleen

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: De'Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first half during the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: De'Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first half during the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 15
Next
Jarrett Culver
ANAHEIM, CA – MARCH 28: Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver (23) looks on during the NCAA Division I Men’s Championship Sweet Sixteen round basketball game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Michigan Wolverines on March 28, 2019 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

. G/F. Texas Tech. Jarrett Culver. 5. player. 125

Over at Sports Illustrated this week, Jeremy Woo added fuel to the fire of the “Atlanta wants Culver” rumors that originally sprouted when the Hawks acquired the 17th pick and Allen Crabbe to provide the Nets salary relief.

So we’re going ahead and executing the deal here and now. It’s the eighth and 10th picks going to Cleveland in exchange for No. 5, this one right here. Atlanta gets their man.

From Woo:

"“According to league sources, Atlanta has been angling to move up in the draft by packaging their various picks, and continue to explore possibilities there. Their primary target would seem to be Jarrett Culver, and they would likely have to get ahead of Phoenix to get him. After dealing with the Nets to add Allen Crabbe’s salary and acquire two first-round picks, Atlanta owns a league-high six selections in this draft, and is exploring all its options.”"

Woo further explains why Atlanta has to jump all the way to five to draft Culver:

"“According to league sources, the Suns are known to be extremely high on Jarrett Culver, and while this spot is his realistic floor, he may not make it (to No. 6).”"

Culver fits beautifully with Atlanta’s core as a tertiary playmaker opposite Kevin Huerter and Trae Young. He would relieve the pressure on those guys to defend top-level guards as well, injecting better balance into the Hawks’ young starting lineup.

Expect Atlanta to target defensive upside in this draft, and it doesn’t get much better than Culver.

Check out our full scouting report on Jarrett Culver.

Home/NBA Draft