Luka Doncic And Trae Young Will Forever Be Linked. Here's Why

On the night of June 21, 2018, the NBA careers of Luka Doncic and Trae Young became forever intertwined.

At first glance, these two young prospects had vastly different profiles. Doncic was a Slovenian prodigy who was called up to Real Madrid’s senior team when he was 16 years old. Young was an Oklahoma native who showcased his combo-guard skills during his high school and college stints in the Sooner State.

The 2018 NBA Draft would mark the beginning of their respective stories in the league, but that evening, they got their first taste of a plot twist. The Atlanta Hawks took Doncic as the third overall pick, and the Dallas Mavericks scooped up Young with the No. 5 selection, but as it turned out, a draft-night trade was in the works.

Over the next seven years, Doncic would become the face of the Mavericks while Young took over as the Hawks’ main man. The parallels between the two players became more apparent on the hardcourt, as both Doncic and Young are proficient at setting up scoring opportunities for their teammates while remaining prolific with their own buckets.

Fans of these players will also have to admit that Doncic and Young have been criticized for the same types of shortcomings. Neither player has gained a reputation as a reliable defender; through the years, teams across the league have found ways to exploit the two defensively challenged athletes.

This past week, the connective tissue between Doncic and Young grew even stronger, especially in terms of narrative. Now, both men can say that they were involved in dramatic trades that made headlines in the basketball world.

There’s no debate, of course, that the Doncic trade was a bigger deal. In the week of the 2025 trade deadline, NBA fans found their jaws on the floor when the Slovenian star was shipped by the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers. With LeBron James nearing the end of his storied career, Doncic became the future of the purple and gold squad.

Eleven months later, Young and his agents coordinated with the Hawks front office to facilitate his departure from Atlanta. Perhaps sooner than expected, Young got his wish: a trade to the Washington Wizards, a news development that he found out about as he sat on the bench during a Hawks game.

Shortly after Young was traded, Doncic was asked at a media session to comment on the deal that transpired. Said Doncic of Young: “I have a lot of respect for him. So if he’s excited for this new journey, I’m excited for him.”

These are poetic words from a star whose fate will forever be linked with the journey of another. Years from now, when NBA historians mention Luka Doncic, they will predictably say Trae Young.