Mavericks won Luka Doncic-Trae Young trade over Hawks

During the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected Luka Doncic third overall, and then the Hawks traded the Slovenian baller to the Dallas Mavericks for Trae Young and a 2019 first-rounder.

Atlanta went on to select Cam Reddish 10th overall in 2019. Four years later, this trade debate is now officially over. Maybe it ended last season. Dallas finished 52-30 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

Based on a couple of NBA betting sites, the Mavericks have the 12th-best odds to win the championship in 2023. A few sportsbooks are showing better odds for the New Orleans Pelicans and Denver Nuggets.

Can we all agree that, The Luka Doncic and Trae Young trade was not the most balanced trade in NBA history pic.twitter.com/gCuCAsl1l8

— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) December 28, 2022

While one could argue that Dallas is a better team to play for than the Hawks, it comes down to individual performances. That’s the most important criteria. Whether playing under Rick Carlisle or Jason Kidd, Doncic can easily average 20-plus points per game. His defense is more refined as well.

More importantly, while Doncic is improving as his career advances, Young is regressing. Doncic is averaging career highs of 33.6 points, 8.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game this season. Plus, he’s shooting career bests of 50.6% from the field and 35.5% beyond the arc.

Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is averaging career-high numbers, whereas Hawks’ Trae Young is regressing

Meanwhile, through 31 starts, Young is averaging 27.3 points, 2.8 boards, and a career-high 9.9 assists per game. His stats are still great, but fans have seen better shooting from the Hawks superstar.

Young is shooting career lows of 41.4% from the floor and 31.6% from 3-point range. The fifth-year player recorded a career-best 56 points against the Trail Blazers last season.

On Tuesday night, in the Mavericks’ 126-121 win over the New York Knicks, Doncic scored a career-high 60 points in 48 minutes played. He became the first player in NBA history to record 60 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists in a single game.

Per a number of sportsbooks, Doncic has the second-best odds to win MVP this season behind Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. And Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo ranks third on the list. As for Trae Young, he’s not even in the top 10.

everyone says the Trae Young – Luka Doncic trade was a “win-win”. Yea that Doncic dude just put that debate to bed.

Mark Cuban is a smart man. He fleeced the Hawks. #NBA #LukaDoncic

— Evan Davis (@evandavis5303) December 28, 2022

For years, fans called this trade a “win-win for both teams.” As stated before, Atlanta was able to draft Cam Reddish in 2019. That was the logic behind calling it a fair deal for the Hawks and Mavericks.

However, Atlanta traded Reddish to the Knicks in January. In the 2020-21 season, the forward averaged career highs of 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. But the Duke product appeared in just 26 games due to an Achilles injury.

After the Hawks traded Reddish away, the 23-year-old has not been the same player. Last season, in 49 games, he logged 10.1 points and 2.1 boards per game. Through 20 appearances this season, the wing is averaging 8.4 points and 1.6 rebounds with the Knicks.

Without Luka Doncic, the Mavericks are likely a below-.500 pretender. It should make one wonder how much better Atlanta would be right now if coach Nate McMillan had a 30-point scorer and defensive contributor like Doncic. Some players can carry the load for months on in. Trae Young might not be that type of player.