Atlanta Hawks 2019 NBA Draft: Travis Schlenk Uninterested in 2nd Round Picks

A quick peek at the news surrounding the Atlanta Hawks final pick in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft.

The Atlanta Hawks have now both acquired and traded away 2019 NBA Draft picks before tonight’s festivities even begin. General Manager Travis Schlenk is certainly in a wheeling and dealing mood, as the recent news surrounding the team’s 44th overall pick would express.

Though the Hawks already picked up another first round pick by taking on the salary of Allen Crabbe and giving up Taurean Prince, Schlenk was in the mood to unload a draft pick on Wednesday afternoon.

Per various reports, the Hawks traded the #44 overall pick to the Miami Heat:

As you can see, the pick is conditional, which makes it sound as if it will be a “fake pick” that is never likely to convey. Even though Schlenk stated that selling picks will be the last resort, this certainly smacks of a pick sale.

However, anyone who’s paid attention to Schlenk’s moves during his tenure should not be surprised he went this route. The simple truth is that Schlenk does not care for second round draft picks. One glance at his second round record over the past two drafts makes it clear his opinion on the matter.

In 2017, he took Tyler Dorsey at #41 overall and Alpha Kaba at #60 overall. Dorsey was traded last season, and Kaba has yet to make an NBA appearance. Last year, in what was perhaps Schlenk’s most indelible gaffe, he traded the #34 pick for two future second-rounders.

Famously, that pick could’ve been used for Mitchell Robinson, Rodions Kurucs, De’Anthony Melton, Shake Milton, Melvin Frazier, Bruce Brown, Hamidou Diallo, Khyri Thomas or Keita Bates-Diop – to name a few.

Now, the 2019 NBA Draft is already looking like more of the same for Schlenk and the Atlanta Hawks. While it might sound strange, this actually might be a good thing for fans of this year’s draft class.

Schlenk has already stated that the team will not bring six rookies onto the roster next year, and now that is an absolute fact because they only have five picks. Perhaps that means the Atlanta Hawks will actually make all three of its selections in the first round in the 2019 NBA Draft.

No matter what, tonight’s draft is going to be wild. Stay tuned for plenty more coverage of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019 NBA Draft.