Why Luka Doncic and Trae Young are linked by more than a draft night trade

THE ATLANTA HAWKS were on the clock with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft when owner Mark Cuban stepped into the hallway outside the Dallas Mavericks' draft room and made a phone call.

Cuban reached out to Tony Ressler, the Hawks' principal owner. Donnie Nelson and Travis Schlenk, who ran the basketball operations departments at the time for Dallas and Atlanta, respectively, had spent much of the day discussing a potential trade that would allow the Mavericks to move up two picks. With minutes to spare, Cuban wanted to make sure the deal made it across the finish line.

The billionaires agreed to go with the framework that was in place: The Hawks would send the Mavs the No. 3 overall…