Trae Young’s father, Ray Young, stays active on social media. Ray went down the rabbit hole of Hawks fans regretting the 2018 NBA Draft Day decision to swap picks with the Mavericks to give them Luka Doncic while the Hawks took Trae. While Hawks fans were upset at the deal looking back on it, Ray revealed that there was no way Doncic was joining Atlanta.
“If this upsets you, imagine how bad it would’ve been if Luka had just announced it ‘I’m only going to Dallas, to be with my mentor Dirk & the owner that flew to Spain 5 times to hang with me & my family!’ He was never coming.”
If this upsets you, imagine how bad it would’ve been if Luka would’ve just announced it “I’m only going to Dallas, to be with my mentor Dirk & the owner that flew to Spain 5 times to hang with me & my family!”😂 He was NEVER COMING. 🏀❤️ https://t.co/EzrgcFHNw4
— Ray Young (@rayfordyoung) May 23, 2024
Ray makes a terrific point. The Mavericks had spent the 2017-18 season openly tanking for Doncic, with the team even facing a fine for their blatant tanking moves that season. Despite being one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Mavericks’ pick fell to No. 5 in the lottery, prompting the Mavericks to send the Hawks No. 5 and their 2019 pick in exchange for Doncic.
The Mavericks had been recruiting Luka for a year as well, so it was clear that they would do everything in their power to get their man. The Hawks were settled on selecting Trae all along and managed to get an additional first-round lottery selection in 2019 to allow Dallas to move up two spots.
The Hawks acquired Cam Reddish with that 2019 pick they got from Dallas, so it’s fair to say they lost the trade when we look back on it in 2024. But even if the trade had never been made, the Hawks were not interested in drafting Doncic at any point, which is a different sort of overstep by the front office.
Mark Cuban Reveals How The Draft Day Trade Went Down
The Mavericks had zeroed in on Doncic by the time the 2018 Draft rolled around, but the misfortune of their pick falling out of the top three in the lottery haunted the team. Rather than just accepting the situation, Mark Cuban personally called the Hawks owner to agree on a deal instead of letting the front offices argue endlessly over it.
“Our scouts liked him, our analytics guys loved him. Our numbers guys were like this is the only superstar in the class. For the trade, we tried and tried, and it was like 15 minutes to go before our pick. I called the owner of Atlanta. ‘You’re not picking Luka and you know the guy you want. Let’s just do this deal because he’ll be there for you. We’ll give you a pick. Instead of the General Managers messing around, let’s get it done.’ And we got it done.”
Doncic has averaged 28.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists since being drafted, recently being named to his fifth-consecutive All-NBA First Team. He’s led the Mavericks into their second Conference Finals appearance in the last three seasons, transforming the franchise into a perennial contender.
Trae has averaged 25.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 9.5 assists since starting his career with the Hawks. He’s been an All-Star and All-NBA selection, but his accolades don’t compare to Doncic’s. In addition, the Hawks haven’t made it out of the first round since their Conference Finals Run in 2021.
Many believe that Young is falling behind other Draft classmates like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Brunson as well, which explains why Hawks fans have such complicated feelings about their franchise star, whose name now swirls around in trade rumors.
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