Reactions from all around the NBA are slowly pouring in as the news about the Trae Young trade from the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards spreads, and one particular comment from a draft classmate caught attention. After the Los Angeles Lakers’ matchup against the San Antonio Spurs ended, Luka Doncic reacted to the trade.

“Obviously, we came together, we got traded for each other,” Doncic told reporters after being informed about the trade, which took place right before the Lakers-Spurs game tipped off. “It’s been a lot of talk about me and him. But we have a good relationship, a lot of respect for him. So if he’s excited for this new journey, I’m excited for him.”

Since 2018, the two point guards have been intrinsically connected. On draft night, the Dallas Mavericks and the Hawks exchanged the #3 and #5 pick, Doncic and Young, for each other, and comparisons to each other have continued, with playoff runs and perceived failures framed as a part of the same debate. Years later, it’s hard to separate the two names.

However, there wasn’t any hints of rivalry in Doncic‘s comment, just an honest endorsement and sincerity that’s rare in a league that usually produces rehearsed answers and an emotional separation from opposing players.

Of course, his tone made sense to anyone paying attention. Doncic has lived through being traded already, being the subject of one of the most significant trades this decade last year when he was exchanged for the Lakers’ Anthony Davis in a move that completely blindsided him. Doncic was pulled from a franchise he believed was his home and forced to absorb disbelief, scrutiny, and the loss of control.

Which is why that last sentence hits harder: “If he’s excited.” Young has the luxury of being able to decide where he wants to go, something Doncic never did, and all the Slovenian can do is wish him the best.

The Doncic-Young Rivalry That Never Existed

Trae Young has also directly addressed the supposed rivalry narrative that has followed both him and Luka Doncic since the two were drafted in 2018. Back in 2023, during an appearance on the Draymond Green Show, Young directly addressed the continued comparisons between the two of them, telling Green:

“To be honest with you, I have no hate towards nobody, especially Luka. We talk all the time. We got a lot of love for each other, a lot of respect for each other.”

This was a rare glimpse behind the curtain for fans, and it’s clear that Doncic and Young have both ignored dominant narratives and lived something more straightforward: mutual admiration without resentment.

Young also acknowledged that these ideas and narratives are shaped by outside forces looking in, and he refuses to get caught up in it. To him, the comparison misses the actual point, that both of them are great players in their own right. In his words, “We’re different in size, but I mean, he can play. Like, I can play… we can both hoop.”

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In a league obsessed with ranking, both Luka and Trae have reached the same conclusion. This debate never actually mattered. Now, the only thing left to be seen is how Young’s tenure with the Wizards turns out.