Ahead of the 2019 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks were sitting pretty with a wide array of draft assets with which to play around with. The team had a multitude of needs and a variety of talented players on the board.
However, when the team opted to trade up to select De’Andre Hunter at #4 overall, they were actually fulfilling the wishes of the 21-year-old.
According to a story by Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (subscription required), Hunter and his camp – which includes his brother Aaron Hunter and Sean Colson, Hunter’s former AAU coach and skills trainer – had singled out the Hawks as the best location for Hunter to be drafted as soon as the team traded away its ostensible “small forward of the future,” Taurean Prince, to the Brooklyn Nets for two future first-round picks.