Final Thoughts
Taking everything into account, I still think Luka is the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award. He took no time to adjust to the NBA and has just dominated from day one, even getting considerable all-star consideration (in the Western Conference, no less). Despite Trae’s hot streak in the second half of the season, the gap was just too big, to begin with.
But when asking which team won the trade, that’s where things become more complicated. In short, I don’t think we’ll know for sure until we see which pick Dallas gets in this year’s draft because depending on the outcome, the pick could actually go to Atlanta. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.
But no matter what happens, it’s safe to assume that both teams are happy with what they got and aren’t really paying attention to all the Luka Doncic vs Trae Young comparisons. Atlanta has what looks like the second coming of Steph Curry with a little bit of Steve Nash thrown in there while Dallas has found the air to Dirk as the franchise cornerstone at the most opportune of times (oh and don’t forget they have Kristaps Porzingis now too).
Both players seem destined for greatness and we’re all lucky enough to witness it!