The Hawks participated in the biggest draft-day trade of 2018, agreeing to move down two spots from No. 3 to No. 5 in a deal with the Mavericks. The trade will have a significant impact on both franchises going forward, with third overall pick Luka Doncic looking like a franchise player in Dallas while No. 5 pick Trae Young appears to be a foundational piece in Atlanta.
In an appearance on Adrian Wojnarowski’s Woj Pod, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk revisited that blockbuster deal, explaining the thinking behind the move (hat tip to RealGM). According to Schlenk, Atlanta had been preparing to select Doncic at No. 3 – even tentatively letting agent Bill Duffy know when Doncic’s introductory press conference would take place – before the Mavs improved their trade offer on draft day.
“Not a lot of people know this,” Schlenk said. “If we would have stayed at three, we would have taken Luka. We had worked with his agent, he did a physical for us that morning in New York. … But then Dallas came in an hour or so before the draft. I told them all along that it would take another lottery pick for us to slide back, and that’s when the conversations got started.”
The price to move up two spots in 2018 was the Mavericks’ top-five protected 2019 first-rounder. While that pick wasn’t necessarily assured of becoming a lottery pick – and still isn’t – Schlenk told Wojnarowski that the work done by the Hawks’ analytics staff made him and the front office feel good about that selection.
“For us, what made (the trade) make sense is our analytics staff was projecting Dallas to finish eighth (in the reverse standings) this year,” Schlenk said.
As the Hawks’ GM observes, that projection looks pretty accurate so far — Dallas currently has the NBA’s ninth-worst record. Still, with draft experts somewhat bearish on the 2019 class as a whole, the Mavs will likely be fine with handing over a top-10 pick. Surrendering that selection gave them the opportunity to secure their first bona fide star since Dirk Nowitzki‘s decline began.
Personally- I love the upcoming lottery players- I think there are a lot of great players in this year’s draft.
It’s just top-heavy. It’s the Duke 3, Ja Morant, and maybe Nassir Little, and then there’s a pretty big talent drop off.
…and that’s why I know the Bulls will get the 6th pick.
Hachimura, culver, Johnson? It’s much deeper than those 5
Hunter, Kevin Porter Jr, Hayes
The guys after the top few aren’t necessarily bad, but it’s a big drop off and that’s the point the original comments tried to make. I personally really like Hachimura, but he and Trae Young combined still wouldn’t be better than Luka in my opinion.
Granted, hindsight is 20/20 and I doubt a lot of people expected Luka to become so good so fast, but when you make a trade like that you’re probably hoping for a little more impact.
That trade really work out for both teams.
admitting you would’ve made a colossal mistake isn’t the look you want
Schlenk didn’t admit he made a colassal mistake. He’s basically saying we were going to draft Doncic (and technically did) but traded him because Dallas matched their price. Its still too early to say the Hawks made a mistake here, even if Doncic ends up winning RoY. This was the type of trade that will take multiple years to determine who “won” and in the end both teams might come out as “winners”.
Reddish and Jaxson would be dope for them, a Trae/Huerter/Reddish/Collins/Jaxson starting 5 would def make them playoff contenders in the East
Too young. You can’t say they are better than the Celtics, 6ers with or without Jimmy, Raptors with it without Kawhi, and Pacers. They will be nice to watch though, but contenders as in we take them serious as a team that can compete with the teams I’ve listed above …Nah
Not sure about Jax, but I % agree Reddish should be the guy for the Hawks!
As far as Donic…… I’ll give some leeway to the fact that it’s very early in their careers
. However there was a clear cut top 3 all year long in Ayton, Donic, and Bagley. We had the number 3 pick, you take the one that falls to you! You font try to rein tthe wheel, which is what we did. Hey never saw the Curry/ young comparison. I do see alot of Steve Nash/ Mike Bibby in his game. And that’s a good thing!
Atlanta screwed up, plain and simple. Young can pile up all the top line stats he wants, he’s was two tiers below Doncic as a draft prospect and is at least that many below him as an NBA prospect. Atlanta didn’t just move down 2 spots. The 2018 draft had a clear top 2 and top 4, for most of the process. They passed over one of the top 2, and put themselves outside the top 4. A top 10 pick in the 2019 draft could well be worth less than a mid-teens pick in the 2018 draft, and most others. The “volume” approach to draft picks is good one in the NFL, but not at the top of an NBA draft when a player like Doncic is on the board. The goal up there is simple.
Get a player that you’ll be happy to max out in an early extension.
I keep waiting for the upcoming draft to get better in terms of prospects emerging, but it doesn’t appear to be happening. There seems to be a solid top 3, but it may be more by default. Silver has railed on “tanking” as a strategy. Drafts like this will do more to stop it than anything he’s come up with.
At 5 the probably dont get Reddish. Hayes is a below average rebounder for someone his size and he doesnt stretch the floor. The Dallas pick they should use on Bol Bol, that extra pick is a luxury use it as such take a lottery ticket pick. Their 1st pick is trickier, no one at 5 really fits what they dont already have. Hunter/Johnson vs Bembry/Prince.
Maybe trade up for Reddish.
Doncic is the better player this season but Trey is putting up historic rookie numbers right along with him, it just hasn’t been as pretty. The trade works out for both IF the Hawks get another foundational player with Dallas’s pick. Mavs get their superstar and Hawks build a balanced roster since we can’t attract any free agents….besides Doncic would’ve won us too many games this season to allow tanking lol
But man I’d love for a team to compete for a championship without every team scurrying for that 1 or 2 superstar players. I know that’s how it is now but it seems so self-involved, boring and predictable….Wishing for another true Detroit Pistons squad, although the Warrior at the beginnings was pretty close to that
By now having seen Doncic, I can say… He is worth a #5 & #8. I was not so sure on draft day.
Darn it he is always pointing his eyes the right way and always seems to use the right amount of energy, which he has a lot of. A Bobby Knight special. Of course there are also the regular better reasons for a high valuation.
yeah a #5 and possibly a #8 pick seems to be a very good trade for the Mavericks when you put it that way….dang it, we had Doncic too lol!
If the hawks move up or even draft reddish it would be an even bigger mistake then trading Luka! Reddish is clearly overrated!