Luka Doncic rubs it in Hawks fans’ faces that he’s their one that got away

Luka Doncic rubs it in Hawks fans’ faces that he’s their one that got away appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Luka Doncic led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 124-114 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, which moved them to 10-2 on the season — the best record in the NBA at this point. Doncic put up 32 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists as he put a strong Hawks defense through the ringer and filled the stat sheet once more. What makes Doncic such a gut-wrenching player to face is that he relishes in twisting the knife not just into the opposing players, but into the opposing fanbase. Doncic, especially, will never forget how the Hawks chose to trade him away during the 2018 NBA Draft in exchange for Trae Young, who is no longer with the team. The Lakers star rubbed it into the faces of some Hawks fans on Monday that they wish that he was playing for their team instead. Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial) “You all wish you would have had me. You all wish, huh?” Doncic said, per Michael J. Duarte of the California Post. “You know you could have had me.” The Hawks decided on draft night that Young would be the player they build the franchise around, sending Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks while picking up a few more draft assets in the process. And for a while, it looked like the Hawks were going to succeed in building around Young. In fact, they made it to the Conference Finals earlier than Doncic did. But Doncic is simply on another level, and the Young-led Hawks stagnated following their Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2021. The Mavericks made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and even went to the NBA Finals in 2024, as Doncic has blossomed into one of the best scorers and playmakers the league has ever seen. Meanwhile, Young has declined over the past few seasons, and he has gone through his fair share of injury woes. And the Hawks decided to trade him away instead of signing him to a huge contract extension — all while Doncic is thriving and now at his best for the Lakers. He truly is the one that got away from the Hawks. Related: Hawks’ Dyson Daniels gives Luka Doncic ‘hardest guy to guard’ praise after loss vs Lakers Related: Hawks’ Quin Snyder makes tough admission about loss to Luka Doncic-led Lakers