8 Players the Atlanta Hawks gave up on too soon

4. Luka Doncic

This list just would not be complete without mentioning Luka Doncic. He and Trae Young will forever be connected in the annals of NBA history due to the 2018 Draft night trade. The Hawks, owning the number three overall pick in the draft, traded back to the fifth pick to select their intended target, Trae Young.

In doing so, they gave up any chances of acquiring Luka Doncic, who nearly everyone would agree emerged as the best player from that draft class. Make no mistake about it, Trae Young has had an incredible start to his career as well with two All-Star appearances and one All-NBA nod, but his resume simply does not touch Doncic’s.

After being named the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year, Luka has gone on to be named an All-Star four times, and has been selected All-NBA First Team in the last three seasons in a row. He is universally considered a top five player in basketball, and he holds the keys to the Dallas Mavericks franchise for as long as he wants them.

Some will read Luka Doncic’s name on this list and see it as an unfair inclusion, since he never played for Atlanta. But the fact of the matter is that the Hawks did thorough scouting on every draft prospect leading up to 2018 Draft night. While Trae Young was not a bad selection, they made a massive mistake in doubting Doncic’s abilities.