The Atlanta Hawks are a team to watch ahead of the 2025 trade deadline. But their already-snake-bitten season just got another unfortunate twist thanks to a rival.
Atlanta received the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2025 first-round pick in the trade that sent Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers just traded for former Hawks first-round pick and Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
Yes, you read that right.
“BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Three-team deal that includes Utah,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on X on February 1. “Yes, this is real.”
Here is the full breakdown of the absolutely stunning blockbuster that will shake up the NBA’s landscape.
The Hawks are mired in an eight-game losing streak and had already seen the Lakers maintain a top-10 record in the NBA standings.
That incoming pick was a coveted asset.
“Don't be surprised if the Hawks come away as the winners in the deal,” Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz wrote in September 2024. “Atlanta received a pair of first-round picks, Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell (who has since been traded to the Phoenix Suns for David Roddy) in exchange for Murray, a move that cleared a lot of future salary off the books and raised the ceiling of the franchise overall.
“The most important part of the trade for the Hawks was the inclusion of a 2025 first-round pick from New Orleans, one that's actually coming from the Los Angeles Lakers that was originally sent to the Pelicans in the Anthony Davis trade.”
The Lakers happened to beat the New York Knicks without Davis on Saturday, and they had yet to add Doncic to the group.
Atlanta selected Doncic with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. They traded him to the Mavericks for Trae Young, who was the No. 5 pick of the class. Doncic has gone on to become a five-time All-Star and All-NBA selection as well as former scoring champion.
Now, the perennial MVP candidate is joining up with legendary superstar James, the four-time MVP, 21-time All-Star, and four-time NBA champ.
The Lakers’ fortunes appear on the uptick, which is bad news for the Hawks.
Hawks cannot catch a break
The Hawks’ fortunes, conversely, seem to be spiraling. Following their loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, Pascal Siakam told Trae Young to “keep going.” It was a fitting reminder that the Hawks star is on a losing team despite his talent.
This deal is a reminder of the kinds of moves that championship-contending teams make. The kinds of deals the Hawks have believed they made – Dejounte Murray – but have fallen short.