Trae Young & Luka Doncic Teammates? Mavs Have Top Betting Odds for Hawks Trade

There is a clear disconnect between Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. If he demands a trade soon, should the Dallas Mavericks consider pairing him with Luka Doncic, the player they traded him for in the 2018 NBA Draft?

Although the Dallas Mavericks could, in theory, shock everyone by making an unforeseen splashy trade before the Feb. 9 deadline, it's much more likely that they'll wait for the offseason before potentially pushing all their chips to the middle of the table. This is because, unless tragedy strikes, the Mavs will be conveying their 2023 first-round pick to the New York Knicks during June’s draft — the final pick owed from the 2019 Kristaps Porzingis trade.

At that point, the Mavs will have all their future picks available, meaning their chances of being able to make a blockbuster trade will rise.

When surveying the NBA landscape for potential trade opportunities, the idea of Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young becoming available has us intrigued. The Mavs drafted Young in the 2018 NBA Draft before trading him to the Hawks for Luka Doncic. What if they traded for Young this time to create a star-studded backcourt with Doncic in Dallas?

As crazy as it may seem, oddsmakers agree with us that this is a possibility to keep an eye on going forward. According to SportsBetting.ag, the Mavs have the top odds of being Young’s next team at +250. The Miami Heat are second at +350, and the Boston Celtics are third at +400.

There has been a rift between Young and the Hawks this season. He doesn’t seem to see eye-to-eye with head coach Nate McMillan, and there have been reports in previous years of Young and versatile forward John Collins not getting along as well.

According to a recent report by Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, Young might be the next big superstar to demand a trade depending on how the postseason goes for Atlanta this season.

“Rival executives in attendance at the NBA's annual G League Winter Showcase are of the belief that Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young could be the next player on a rookie max extension to request a trade if the team doesn't make inroads come postseason time,” Haynes wrote.

“Young, 24, is as competitive as they come and has a strong desire to win big in this league. He's under contract through the 2026-27 season but has an early termination option after the 2025-26 season.”

Although Young had a handful of years left on his contract, we know that doesn’t necessarily matter if a star is disgruntled and wants out. We saw it as recent as last summer when the Utah Jazz traded Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers despite Mitchell being under contract through the 2025-26 season.

The Mavs making a blockbuster trade is probably a matter of “when” and not “if.” The Dallas front office knows it must upgrade its roster to maximize Doncic’s chances of completing for a championship every year before his current contract ends. Whether trading for a guard like Young gets the Mavs where they want to go or not can be debated, but it’s a big move that Dallas might be able to swing if given the opportunity.

Despite being traded for each other in 2018 and being subjected to “which team won the trade” debates over the years, Doncic and Young have always been friendly. Whether that could translate to good on-court chemistry would be interesting to see. Young isn’t a great defender, but he’s one of the best offensive players in the game, as he averages 25.5 points and 9.2 assists per game while shooting 35.1 percent from deep for his career.

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