The first 2019 Valley of the Suns Mock Draft

Thanks to trading away Luka last year, the Hawks should end up with two top-ten picks this year.  Snagging Hayes would be a considerable upgrade over Dewayne Dedmond or Alex Len.  With a 7’4″ wingspan he has the potential to be a little like Brooklyn’s Jarrett Allen.   He should swat everything around him on one end and dunk everything on the other. That’s a nice pairing with Trae Young and a great complement to John Collins.

I think Coby White is the most underrated player in this draft.  He has the potential to play point or shooting guard and he is a stat stuffer.  I believe Mike Conley has been a top 5 point guard for the last 5-7 years in the league and having him mentor White between now and his inevitable trade to Detroit makes a ton of sense for everyone involved.  On a team where White gets thrust into the point role, I suspect he would struggle, but given some time to learn, he should be able to develop into a Collin Sexton/Eric Bledsoe type player.

The Anthony Davis drama session should come to a quick end.  I trust the new leadership team to get a maximum return.  They need to pair that return with elite young talent.  Reddish fits the bill.  People are down on his play because of his performance at Duke, but it’s a little unfair to hang that on a 19 year old kid playing third fiddle on his team.  Cam has a ton of skills and size to play three positions.  He might be the second coming of Earl Clark or he might become an all-star.  That kind of boom or bust pick is what the Pelicans should be taking here.