Luka Doncic had hit the ground running when he migrated to the other side of the Atlantic to join the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. Emerging as the Rookie of the Year, Doncic went onto achieve back-to-back All-Star selections. Besides, on the back of his exploits, the Mavs made multiple playoff runs, including a berth in the Western Conference Finals. However, Doncic could not have emerged as the Mavs centerpiece if it were not for a 24-year-old NBA star.

Back in 2018, it was the Atlanta Hawks who drafted Luka Doncic. However, Atlanta would send him to Dallas in exchange for another red hot NBA prospect. Years after the move, Doncic’s Hawks counterpart shed light on joining the 1958 NBA champions.

Not joining the Mavs due to Luka Doncic, NBA star opens up about joining Atlanta

When the Hawks drafted Luka Doncic as the third overall pick, Trae Young had joined his home team, Dallas as the fifth overall pick. However, the two would soon swap sides. The Mavs traded Trae Young to the Hawks in exchange for the rights to the third overall pick, Luka Doncic. The two sides, perhaps, agreed to the move, hoping to take the franchise in a new direction with the addition of promising fresh bloods.

In the recent episode of?From the Point by Trae Young?podcast, Trae Young spilled the beans on his move to Atlanta. The host asked him to recall the emotions he went through when Atlanta recruited him as a potential franchise player.?“I mean for me I came in with the mindset of just like I knew that would be a possibility. But I didn’t come in with that mindset of like I knew I was gonna be this or I was gonna have it like this. I knew I had to earn everything that I got,” Trae Young said.

Young did his work in Atlanta as he rightly put and has been rewarded apparently.

Trae Young’s remarkable journey with the Hawks

Trae Young may not have risen up to the level Doncic had risen in Dallas. Nonetheless, Young has been adding feathers to his cap as a Hawks player. Besides, it was during Young’s playoff debut that the Hawks made their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2015.

READ MORE: ?Luka With the Hookah?: Charles Barkley and Billionaire Mark Cuban?s Viral Shark Tank Moment Trolls Mavs? Most Embarrassing Play of the Season

Young then stole the show against the mighty Bucks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. In a game, Young dropped a playoff career-high 48 points and helped his side win. However, Young would later contract an injury and miss out on crucial games. Playing without Trae Young, the Hawks lost the series against Milwaukee. Given the key role he plays in Atlanta, Young surely had the right realization before he joined the Hawks. He knew he had to go the extra mile and acted accordingly to become what he became.

WATCH THIS STORY: John Wall-Bradley Beal, LeBron James-Kyrie Irving brotherhood moments