When the Dallas Mavericks traded up to select Luka Doncic seven years ago, they were also accepting the reality that they would not take Trae Young. That opportunity landed with the Atlanta Hawks. But now, all these years later, and even with the recent Doncic disaster, the Hawks may be learning why the Mavs were okay with letting Young slip away.
Doncic has been the better player up to this point in the two guys’ respective careers, but even outside of that, Young is proving to be a less-than-ideal fit with the Hawks. In fact, the Hawks have been a better team this season with him out of the lineup.
And that’s not ideal for Atlanta.
What’s wrong with Trae Young?
Obviously, the primary reason the Mavs traded up for Doncic was because they believed in him as a player more than Young. But based on the way things have panned out for Young in recent years, their choice has never looked more obvious.
What the Mavs did with Doncic is another conversation, as Nico Harrison inexplicably traded him away to the Los Angeles Lakers, but it’s looking like the Hawks should consider moving away from Young soon, too.
Young only appeared in five games for the Hawks this season before going down with a sprained MCL. When he was in the lineup, the Hawks went 2-3. Since then, the Hawks have gone 6-2 with Young on the sidelines, surging to the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race with an 8-5 record.
Before Young went down, the Hawks had a 111.1 offensive rating and a 117.6 defensive rating. Since then, in their last eight games, those numbers have completely flipped to a 116.4 offensive rating and a 106.9 defensive rating.
That defensive rating ranks second in the NBA over every team’s last eight games, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have shot out to an incredible start to the year.
Even when Young was healthy, the difference in team success when he was on vs. off the floor is staggering. The offense was better when he was on the floor, but the defense was far worse.
Young is in the final year of his contract. He has a played option for the 2026-27 season, but will undoubtedly want to figure something out before that point.
The Hawks have to worry about handing him a new deal once this season ends, but based on the way things have played out this season, they may be more inclined to follow the Doncic path (though they probably wouldn’t get the same reaction that deal received).