2019 NBA Draft: Full Mock Draft 4.0, Atlanta Hawks Trade Down to Pick at 8, 14 & 22, Lakers Trade #4

And finally, here it is. The Atlanta Hawks will be a major talking point in the 2019 NBA Draft after the team made the single biggest trade during last year’s draft. Though we all know what happened (the Luka Doncic for Trae Young swap), it must be remembered that Atlanta Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk was lambasted for the move at the time.

Fast-forward to the end of the 2018-19 regular season, and Trae Young had proved himself to be perhaps in the same tier as Luka in his draft class – and was an obvious unanimous First Team All-Rookie selection (something that John Collins was robbed of in his first season).

In the 2019 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks will certainly be looking to scoop up any player that is still available and widely regarded as a Top-5 talent in this draft. For the second straight mock draft, that player is Jarrett Culver out of Texas Tech.

An absolutely brilliant defender, Culver was often the number one option on a Red Raiders team that made it all the way to the NCAA Championship game. On the back of terrific team defense and just enough scoring, the Red Raiders as a three seed upset numerous juggernauts, such as the #1 seed Gonzaga as well as historic powerhouse Michigan State.

For Culver on the Atlanta Hawks, the team’s young core would be absolutely loaded. Though positions would be nebulous, the team could be looking at a starting lineup that looks something like this going forward:

C – Dewayne Dedmon (if he is re-signed)
PF – John Collins
SF – Kevin Huerter
SG – Jarrett Culver
PG – Trae Young

If that doesn’t get you excited for the future of the Atlanta Hawks, perhaps nothing will.