4 better Luka Doncic trades Mavericks should have made instead of Anthony Davis

02/02/2025 05:14 PM

The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most heavily scrutinized trades in sports history. Fans simply can’t wrap their heads around why Dallas would trade a 25-year-old with a borderline Hall of Fame résumé for Anthony Davis — who is injury-prone and a few years removed from his prime — while only getting one first-round pick in the process.

That simply is not enough for someone of Doncic’s caliber, and even if the Mavericks felt that it was necessary to move on from the five-time All-Star, it doesn’t make a lot of sense why they didn’t shop him around the rest of the league more. There are plenty of other teams outside of Los Angeles that could have offered more in draft picks and exciting assets than what the Lakers gave to Dallas, so we are going to look at four trades involving Luka Doncic that would have been better than the Lakers one that actually happened.

Deal for the best player on the trading block

Sacramento Kings acquire: Luka Doncic

Dallas Mavericks acquire: De’Aaron Fox, Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis, two first-round picks

Despite already becoming one of the best point guards ever, Luka Doncic is still only 25 years old. That is the biggest reason the Doncic-Davis trade was as much a shock. Davis is already 31 years old and clearly a few years removed from his prime. He has struggled with injuries for years, whereas Doncic had been pretty healthy up until this season.

Doncic should be a star for over a decade going forward, while Davis’ days on top are running out. Trading for a fellow youngster would have made more sense. De’Aaron Fox is only 27 years old, and he just so happens to be the best player on the trading block. The Kings have engaged teams in trade talks for their young point guard, and there wouldn’t have been a better lead guard to pursue to replace him than Doncic. It would have been quite the ironic trade as well given Sacramento passed on Doncic in the 2017 NBA Draft.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, would still be able to run a backcourt with two elite ball handlers (Kyrie Irving being the other guard), and they could add some additional defensive talent in Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis in the process. Both Murray and Ellis have had some impressive moments during their young careers with the Kings.

The Kings don’t have much in terms of tradable assets, as evidenced by their only giving up two first-round picks in this hypothetical trade. That is still more than what the Mavericks got from the Lakers, though, and they get a younger player in Fox than in Davis.

Get involved in the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes

Miami Heat acquire: Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell

Dallas Mavericks acquire: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, one first-round pick

There have been a lot of justifications given for why the Mavericks decided to trade Doncic. From contract concerns to conditioning issues, everyone is trying to wrap their head around why Dallas possibly decided to do what it did. One thing is for sure, though, and that is it is clear that the team wanted more defense on their roster.

Doncic is one of the best offensive engines in the NBA, but he is lacking on the less glamorous side of the court. New Dallas Maverick Anthony Davis, on the other hand, is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. It still seems like the Mavericks should have gotten more in return for Doncic, though. The Heat couldn’t trade more than one first-round pick, which is all Dallas received from the Lakers, but they could give the Mavericks more than just Anthony Davis.

Bam Adebayo replaces Davis as the defensive-minded big man with some perimeter offensive skills in this scenario. The Mavericks also get Jimmy Butler. A trade seems inevitable for Butler, considering he requested a trade out of Miami and is currently serving his third suspension for the team. He’d provide even more defense in Dallas and replicate some of the playmaking lost by trading Doncic. Plus, the Mavericks were one of Butler’s ideal landing spots when he originally requested a trade.

This trade also allows the Mavericks to get off of Klay Thompson’s contract, as that offseason deal they signed him to is starting to look like a mistake. The Heat would be thrilled to do this deal, as who wouldn’t want Luka Doncic? The Jimmy Butler headache would be over, and the team would add their most talented player since LeBron James played for them.

In our opinion, this still isn’t close to enough for Luka Doncic, but it arguably is more than the Mavericks received from the Lakers.

Add a ton of draft capital in an Oklahoma City deal

Oklahoma City Thunder acquire: Luka Doncic

Dallas Mavericks acquire: Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams, Isaiah Joe, six first-round picks

Whenever a superstar player is on the trading block, you have to wonder if the Oklahoma City Thunder will pull the trigger on a trade. After all, they have more trading power than anybody in the NBA due to their surplus of future draft picks (13 first-round picks and 16 second-round picks), so they can outbid anybody for anyone they want.

The Mavericks’ trade for Anthony Davis signaled that they still want to win now, but it probably would have been smarter to just trade for an unbelievable amount of first-rounders instead. Rudy Gobert went for five first-round picks, so could Dallas have netted even more than that for Doncic? It seems likely, to be honest, and the Thunder would still have some picks to spare even if they made a deal involving a record amount of draft capital.

Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would have been up there with the best duos in NBA history. They could go down as a combination as lethal as Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, and they’d likely be competing for MVPs against each other for years to come.

The coveted defense and hustle that the Mavericks seemingly thought Doncic lacked too much to keep around would certainly be there with Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams, and it is hard to ignore as many draft picks as the Thunder can trade. This deal would have been a full-blown rebuild for Dallas, but they would have certainly been set up well for the future.

Add draft capital and young players in a Houston deal

Houston Rockets acquire: Luka Doncic, Quentin Grimes

Dallas Mavericks acquire: Fred VanVleet, Cam Whitmore, Jabari Smith Jr., four first-round picks

The Thunder are the top team in the Western Conference thanks to their young and exciting roster. The Houston Rockets aren’t far behind them, though. Like the Thunder, the Rockets have plenty of picks to trade, but they have some play-now youngsters to include in trades, too.

Houston seems ready to take the next step, and a trade deadline trade seems possible. They might have had the ammunition to do a Doncic trade if he wasn’t dealt to the Lakers. Luka Doncic would have certainly gotten the team to the next level and made them perennial contenders, too.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, would add players who have already proven themselves but have yet to reach their potential (Cam Whitmore and Jabari Smith Jr.), and they could add plenty of draft picks to revamp for the future. The Rockets have been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA this season, and Houston’s players would bring that defensive mindset to Dallas. It is tough to imagine a trade where the Mavericks could have gotten both more win-now talent and more draft capital than they do in this deal.

No one saw a Doncic trade coming, but a megadeal like this would have made a lot more sense for the Mavericks.

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