Dallas Mavericks: A Hawks Fan’s Take on the Doncic/Young Trade
After the blockbuster trade between the Dallas Mavericks and the Atlanta Hawks, here is the reaction from a Hawks fan, me.
Yes, it is true, I am not a Dallas Mavericks fan, I am an Atlanta Hawks fan. I have been one since Julius “Dr. J” Erving retired. I became a fan at a time Dominique Wilkins was one of the most electric players in the world. I’ve seen some lean years, and have waited a long time to see them even have a realistic shot at a title. It has been a long time since they had the talent to be a contender, a real one. Now, this happens.
For a brief history on the Hawks, they have a track record of trading or passing on great players in the draft. Pau Gasol, Chris Paul, even Bill Russell are part of a dubious list of absolute blunders made by the Hawks. So part of the reaction here is based on a long history of ineptitude.
The consensus around the Hawks’ fans was that Luka Doncic or Mo Bamba were the smart picks for the team. Doncic has a high ceiling and a low floor. Meaning he could be an absolute superstar, a generational type player. At worst, he could be a strong piece to a team that will be a contributor night in and night out.
Sure, Doncic has some issues. He doesn’t push the ball up enough, he hasn’t played outside of Euroleague, isn’t the most explosive athlete, and sometimes plays defense a little sloppy. However, he has all the tools to improve just about everything in his game, maybe not his explosiveness and speed, but he is smart enough to work around it.
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Trae Young is a volume shooter who was by far the best player on a bad Oklahoma team. His usage rates should be considered when looking at both his positives and negatives. Young can shoot the lights out. Against stiffer competition, he struggles. On defense, he is a liability, and with his size in today’s NBA switching on defense, he will almost always be a mismatch. For a three-and-D player, you need a player who plays D.
But for the trade, the Dallas Mavericks absolutely fleeced the Hawks. The Hawks had all of the power in the trade. They were looking to dump either Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore. Dallas wanted Doncic so badly that there is no reason sitting at number three, you couldn’t have been smarter in this trade.
Sure, getting another first round pick is nice, but when you are sitting at three and trying to get rid of players, the smart move would have at least had the pick unprotected. If the Dallas Mavericks were as high on Doncic as we know they were, then trading the 3 for the 5, getting an unprotected, and possibly dumping one of the two players you are looking to get rid of, should have been the starting point. Never should they have gone as low as what they did.
Young would have been there at five, in fact, many thought he would be there at eight, and even some thought twelve. Why give up the consensus best player in the draft, for a player many thought was barely a top 10 pick, and then get a protected pick? It makes little sense.
Next: Dallas Mavericks: Atlanta Hawks trade/draft reaction
Sure, Young could be the next Steph Curry, and Doncic could be a bust. Nothing is certain, but looking at the trade right now, it looks like the Dallas Mavericks completely stole one from the Hawks.
As a Hawks fan, I can’t say I am surprised. Congratulations Dallas, you got the player Hawks fans everywhere wanted, got, then lost. Maybe, some of the defections that happened last night will become Dallas Mavericks fans. Oh, and there were a lot of defections. Just another day in the life of a Hawks fan.