Atlanta Hawks · Franchise era 6 of 6
The Trae Young era: the Atlanta Hawks story
The story in one sentence
Young became the offense immediately and drove a fearless 2021 playoff run; the franchise has continued reshaping the cast around his creation.
Deep range and a surprise conference-finals run
Trae Young, John Collins and Jalen Johnson gave the era its recognizable core.
Its final meaning is still being written.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2018–19
What came before
Atlanta returned to the playoffs for ten straight seasons, culminating in a 60-win, four-All-Star team that reached the 2015 conference finals.
- 07TradeJune 21, 2018
June 21, 2018
The draft-night swap that linked Luka and Trae forever
Dallas moved up for the prospect it believed could lead a franchise. Atlanta moved down two spots, secured its preferred point guard and added another first.
To DAL
To ATL20191STround assetLuka–Trae draft swapDAL receives Rights: Luka Dončić · No. 3ATL receives Rights: Trae Young · No. 5, Protected 2019 Dallas first3 original assets · 2 outcomes tracedOpen trade → 2021
Eastern Conference Semifinals: Atlanta Hawks vs Philadelphia 76ers
2021
Eastern Conference Finals: Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks
2026
Eastern Conference First Round: Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks
Still unfolding
Where the story stands
This chapter remains active, so its final place in franchise history is still being written.
The core