The Atlanta Hawks didn’t get any first round picks for Trae Young, while the Memphis Grizzlies received three firsts for Jaren Jackson Jr.
Atlanta’s mishandling of the supercharged 2018 draft has been well documented, but most fans have focused on one slant: the Hawks selected Luka Doncic with the third pick of the draft, but traded him for the rights to Young.
We don’t have to hash this trade out again, but the Hawks clearly lost – Doncic has been a step ahead of Young in every career metric and milestone. Luka was one of the greatest young players in history; Trae was salary-dumped at the end of his second contract. Doncic led a team to the Finals; Young led a team to the conference finals. Luka was a three-time MVP finalist; Trae was a one-time All-NBA selection. This trade is one of the few disastrous moves in franchise history.
What has been ignored, however, is that the Hawks also could have drafted Jackson Jr., who was selected fourth overall in the same draft.
A world with Jaren Jackson Jr doesn’t look so bad
Ironically, of the three players drafted 3rd-5th in 2018 (Doncic, JJJ, Young), Jackson Jr. earned back the most picks.
Of course, Doncic is the better player, but the Slovenian superstar has his own issues as a player. He has questionable levels of effort, his poor composure can take him out of games, and he’s rarely been “in shape.”
While Nico Harrison judged Doncic far too harshly for these flaws, Mavs fans are quick to point out that these concerns were indeed real (even if trading him was a poor decision).
Jackson Jr., on the contrary, is a player any team could plug into their system. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, has made three All-Defensive teams, and has shot 36.9% from deep over the past two seasons. He is the perfect do-it-all power forward, which is precisely what made his return package so lucrative.
Atlanta gambled on Trae Young. Steph Curry had just won his third title in four years, and the league seemed to be trending towards building around guards who don’t play defense but could shoot the lights out like Curry, Damian Lillard, and James Harden.
However, the Hawks miscalculated two critical components.
First, Young was simply not as good as these guys. His three point shooting never developed, and an injury in 2024 sapped the burst that made him such a special isolation scorer. He is closer to Zach LaVine than Steph Curry.
Second, the league moved away from Young’s playstyle. While players like Curry, Lillard, and Harden were revolutionary for their time, the next generation of NBA talent grew up watching them in action. Suddenly, everyone could shoot the lights out. Young’s virtuoso talent was less valuable as the “league average” shooter improved.
The Trae era was fun, but it was also disappointing. Had the Hawks picked JJJ or Doncic, the franchise would be in a much better position.