What Became of It? (#1: Featuring Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Kristaps Porzingis)

[G9.]

What Became of It?​

Welcome to my new off-season series: What Became of It? In this series I will be revisiting major trades of years past. The series may be kind of bland at first, but as we advance throughout the seasons and more drafts are completed, we may come upon some rather interesting long-term trade outcomes. In this series I will begin with one “key” trade and follow the return until its end (or current status). This series will begin with a trade that I was involved in. Future editions may not involve me, but I know a substantial amount of information about these trades (since I was involved) and wanted to begin the series with something I knew.

For this first edition of What Became of It? I chose to present the information using a Sankey diagram. The diagram is read from left to right. Each node represents a connection to some other piece. For example: Luka Doncic, Kristapis Porzingis, and 2M GM Cash combine to form the Mavericks Trade node. Everything that follows to the right of this node was what the Mavericks received for this package. This includes two pieces, Trae Young and Kevin Huerter, that were then combined in yet another deal. The Sankey diagram represents the information in a nice, left to right, chronological manner, but if anyone has any ideas for better presentation, please let me know.

While the diagram and the discussion will begin with a “key trade,” the article itself will dive into the aftermath of all involved teams, not just the first two.

What Became of It?

Trade #1:

Mavericks Trade:
Luka Doncic
Kristaps Porzingis
2M GM Cash

Hawks Trade:
Trae Young
Kevin Huerter
Dallas Mavericks 2019 1st
Oklahoma City Thunder 2022 1st
Atlanta Hawks 2022 1st
Taurean Prince
Miles Plumlee​

Mavericks Reaction:
This trade was… something. An initial look at the trade may leave you questioning Nate’s decision to trade Luka Doncic, but as we follow the Sankey diagram to its end, you may wholly support it. Nate had a hard-on for Trae Young, so he went after him. All things considered, the initial return for Luka and Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t even that bad. Luka Doncic himself still had C- defense at the time. Kristaps Porzingis isn’t exactly a key piece on a winning roster. Trae Young had a bright young future with the Mavericks. Kevin Huerter remained D-League eligible and got to spend a year in development. Taurean Prince scored 13 PPG for the Mavericks in 2018. On top of those three players, Nate also received three first-round picks in return.

Hawks Reaction:
Curry had the assets to make this deal. The Hawks owned multiple future 1st round picks, including the Mavericks very own 2019 1st, as well as some decent young pieces in Young and Huerter. Trae certainly looked about as promising as Luka Doncic did, but Luka seemed a bit more well-rounded. If you’re going to build your team around a potential C- defender, you want him to be able to score inside, outside, pass, and rebound. Luka has done all that in his two seasons thus far with Atlanta, having already been selected for both the All-Star Game and All-League Third team honors. A quick comparison of Trae Young and Luka Doncic’s current production may help understand their respective value.

PER 36	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Turnovers
Luka Doncic	36	22.43	6.61	8.74	3.66
Trae Young	36	21.32	5.13	9.25	3.92

Curry certainly had to add to Trae to snag Luka, I’m just not sold that he had to add so much. We’ve yet to consider the 3 1st round selections, Kevin Huerter, and Taurean Prince. Is Kristaps Porzingis worth those five pieces?

Trade #2:

Mavericks Trade:
Trae Young
Kevin Huerter

Wizards Trade:
De’Andre Hunter
Shamorie Ponds
Bruno Fernando
Washington Wizards 2020 1st
Milwaukee Bucks 2024 1st​

Mavericks Reaction:
Trae Young, the key piece from the deal that lost the Mavericks Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, shipped away? Kevin Huerter as well? Trae Young had been shooting lights out and leading the Mavericks to some quality wins in early-2019 when G9. decided to trade him. The Wizards offered a hefty package that could no longer be passed upon. While Trae Young’s future remains extraordinarily bright, the Mavericks have a long road ahead of them before they can utilize a player of Trae’s caliber for a championship run. The Mavericks instead elected for the long-con, receiving five first-round assets for Young and Huerter. De’Andre Hunter looks promising, despite his deflated athletics. With proper development and some decent training camps, he could be a solid third banana and defensive leader for the Mavericks. Bruno Fernando came into the league already approaching his ceiling, but the Mavericks have heavily invested in helping Bruno raise that ceiling. He could be a third or fourth man in their big-man rotation this following season. Shamorie Ponds disappointed many and didn’t show any progress after his first training camp stint, but the Mavericks have hope, he’s still quite young. The Wizards 2020 1st won’t be lotto, but it won’t be extremely late. A solid mid-1st round steal could help the Mavericks sooner rather than later. And lastly, the Mavericks gained the rights to the Milwaukee Bucks 2024 1st. 2024 remains 4 seasons away, and who knows where that pick could end up.

Wizards Reaction:
Jayson Tatum, SF, 22. Trae Young, PG, 21. Talk about a duo to be feared. Jayson still has one year left on his rookie contract and tore it up for the Wizards in 2019. Trae Young still has two years left on his rookie contract and also tore it up in 2019. The duo combined for 42 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, and 3 steals per game. A combination that can rotate anywhere between 1, 2, and 3. They remain quite lackluster on the defensive end but expect them both to continue growing and dominate the league for seasons to come. The Wizards gave up quite a bit to get Trae Young, but the long-term payoff may very well be worth it. The duo has already accomplished a 50 win season, won a playoff series, and took the #2 seed Celtics to 7 games in the second round. We will follow this duo with great interest.

Trade #3:

Mavericks Trade:
Dallas Mavericks 2019 1st (#8: Cam Reddish)

Hawks Trade:
Minnesota Timberwolves 2022 1st
Atlanta Hawks 2024 1st​

Mavericks Reaction:
The 2019 draft class was deep, but number eight is never an exciting place to be. Stuck in the lull between undevelopable and developable, number eight requires some solid training camps to develop properly. Eligible for only one summer league and one half-season in the D-League, the Mavericks didn’t have faith in their ability to hit with this pick. They shopped it for a while and ultimately decided to trade it back to the Atlanta Hawks for two future picks. Worth it? Maybe? Depends on how pick number eight turns out.

Hawks Reaction:
The Hawks are absolutely loaded with young talent at this point. Before adding the eighth overall pick in 2019 to their arsenal, they are already led by John Collins, Luka Doncic, and Kristaps Porzingis. If the Hawks can hit on this pick they are potentially a four-headed giant heading forward. They ultimately opted to select 19-year-old Cam Reddish out of Duke. Not only did this selection fill a position of need for the Hawks, it filled it long-term. Cam looks extremely promising on both the offensive and defensive end. He lacks consistent volume on the stat sheet, but let’s not forget who’s surrounding him. He’s already shown an ability to score big, dropping a career-high 27 points against Draymond Green of the Celtics on Day 73! If Cam can find any consistency in that area, he’ll be spooky.

Trade #4:

Mavericks Trade:
Taurean Prince


Hornets Trade:
3M GM Cash​

Mavericks Reaction:
Well, they spent 2M in the deal to get Prince. So receiving 3M for him can’t be a bad deal.

Hornets Reaction:
Taurean is still solid defensively and had some good bench appearances for the Hornets in 2019. Good bench help is always worth a little cash.

Trade #5:

Mavericks Trade:
Shamorie Ponds
Justin Jackson
Washington Wizards 2020 1st

Timberwolves Trade:
Tristan Thompson
Patrick Beverly
Otto Porter​

Mavericks Reaction:
Shamorie was somewhat promising, as was the Wizards mid-round 1st rounder. Strange time to begin trading away young assets, following a 21-win season that is. Among things to be considered is the lack of a 2021 1st round selection for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2018 the Mavericks traded both their 2021 and 2023 1st round selections to the New York Knicks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal. The Mavericks tried to trade for their own 2021 1st round pick back, giving them the freedom to tank, but a deal could not be made. Ultimately the Mavericks opted to sell some of their lesser youth assets for some competitive help. Tristan Thompson and Patrick Beverly can contribute significantly in a year where the Mavericks lack their pick.

Timberwolves Reaction:
The Timberwolves were having a tough time decided whether to accept Thompson and Beverly’s resigning offers. The two combine for nearly $30M in cap over numerous seasons. While they wait for Darius Garland and Jontay Porter to develop, the Timberwolves appear as if they want to compete, but also collect young assets. Shamorie Ponds and Justin Jackson are slightly less impactful than Thompson and Beverly, but they come to Minnesota combining for only $10M in cap and the Timberwolves get a chance to find a 2020 first round steal with the Washington Wizards pick. This trade made sense for the general interests of both teams.

Trade #6:

Hawks Trade:
Kristaps Porzingis

Bucks Trade:
DeMar DeRozan
7M GM Cash​

PER 36	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Turnovers
Kristaps Porzingis	36	15.48	9.42	1.23	2.33
DeMar DeRozan	36	16.91	6.33	2.77	1.83

Hawks Reaction:
22 Year Old Power Forward Brandon Clarke impressed in 37 games played for the Hawks before his stint in the D-League. Clarke managed to post nearly a double double and block 2.2 shots per game for the Hawks. This gave Hawks GM the go-ahead to trade Kristaps Porzingis. They were able to find a deal to receive veteran DeMar DeRozan in return. This deal works out nice for the Hawks, as they lacked a consistent third scoring option and they get out of Porzingis’ questionable long-term contract.

Bucks Reaction:
They’ve got to figure something out. They are surrounding Giannis with numerous assortments of players but nothing seems to be working. Khris Middleton, LeBron James, DeMar DeRozan… it doesn’t seem to matter. Hopefully Kristaps is able to fill whatever niche needs to be filled for Milwaukee to return to dominance. He may be a nice replacement for the poor 3-point shooting DeMar.

Mavericks Current In (2020):
Tristan Thompson
Patrick Beverly
Otto Porter
De'Andre Hunter
Bruno Fernando
Milwaukee Bucks 2024 1st
Minnesota Timberwolves 2022 1st
Atlanta Hawks 2022 1st
Atlanta Hawks 2024 1st
Oklahoma City Thunder 2022 1st
1M GM Cash

Hawks Current In (2020):
Luka Doncic
Cam Reddish
DeMar DeRozan
9M GM Cash​

 

[GB]

10m

 

[NCツ]

this was sick

 

[Cloud]

5M, very nice