Atlanta Exchanged Franchise Icon Wilkins for Danny Manning
On February 24, 1994, Atlanta shocked the league by trading longtime star Dominique Wilkins and a 1994 first-round choice to the Clippers for Danny Manning. Wilkins had spent more than a decade as the leading face of the Hawks and remained a prolific scorer. Atlanta sought a younger forward it believed could complement a new direction, while Los Angeles obtained an established All-Star wing and a draft asset. The pick ultimately became No. 25 Greg Minor, who was moved again to Indiana in a separate June transaction. The swap occurred while Atlanta was leading the Eastern Conference, making it more consequential than a routine rebuilding change. Both clubs’ official historical transaction ledgers verify Wilkins, Manning and the first-round pick as the complete package.
Manning Played Eleven Atlanta Postseason Games but Left
Manning finished the 1993-94 regular season with Atlanta, joining a deep roster that hoped to push through the Eastern Conference playoffs. He scored 20.0 points and grabbed 7.0 rebounds per game in 11 Hawks playoff appearances, according to his team-specific postseason record. Atlanta ultimately lost to Indiana in the second round, never reaching the Finals with Manning. The trade did not produce a multi-year Hawks centerpiece: Manning joined Phoenix the next season as a free agent. That is the most important limitation of the Atlanta return. He was a talented and useful forward, not someone who failed to play for the Hawks, but the club surrendered both its franchise icon and a first-rounder for a player it could not retain.
Wilkins and the Draft Asset Went to the Clippers
Wilkins gave the Clippers immediate veteran scoring to finish the season. However, his Los Angeles tenure was brief, with the prolific forward continuing his career elsewhere after 1993-94. The No. 25 choice went to the Clippers as part of the agreement and was used on Greg Minor, whose rights then became part of a different June swap involving Mark Jackson. The Clippers therefore acquired both short-term points and a draft-right asset they could trade again. The inherited Clippers Win designation is supported by the extra first-round value and the Hawks’ loss of Manning after a single partial season. Yet neither team created an enduring new All-Star core from this agreement. Assigning Wilkins’s preceding Hawks scoring record to the Clippers or Manning’s later Phoenix play to Atlanta would distort what either franchise actually received.
Final Verdict
Clippers Win. Los Angeles obtained Dominique Wilkins and the No. 25 1994 first-round choice used on Greg Minor, later traded in another agreement. Atlanta received Danny Manning, who scored 20.0 points per game in 11 Hawks playoff appearances but departed after the season. The first-round asset gave the Clippers an additional return.