When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, executives around the league wondered why they did not get an opportunity to present a package of their own to trade for the superstar.
A sentiment shared by seemingly all NBA circles was that L.A. got off the hook with a light package that only involved one unprotected first-round pick. However, Anthony Davis is also worth first-round capital as one of, if not the best, two-way center in the league.
But, there is no denying that other teams could have competed or surpassed the Lakers’ offer. One being the Chicago Bulls, who reportedly would have put everything on the table in a potential package for Doncic if Dallas gave them the chance, via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times:
“A source told the Sun-Times that Karnisovas and his front office would have offered anyone and everyone on the roster had they been notified by the Mavericks that Luka Doncic was available in February, but even then, it wouldn’t have been better than what the Lakers gave the Mavericks.”
Chicago’s best asset is Coby White, who put together a strong second half of the season as a No. 1 option when Zach LaVine was dealt. Seeing that Kyrie Irving is out for nearly all of next season with an ACL injury, White would fill that void of production.
But outside of White, there are not many intriguing options for the Mavericks in a trade package, specifically when being compared to Davis. Matas Buzelis was picked No. 11 last year and needs time to develop as a 20-year-old forward, while Ayo Dosunmu and Lonzo Ball also intriguing 3-and-D options as guards but with limited ceilings.
Clearly, the Mavericks did not value first-round picks as highly as most teams would and the Bulls have all their picks through 2031. Frankly, L.A. presented more win-now pieces than Chicago in Davis and Max Christie and that is what Dallas ultimately wanted.
Danny Green doesn’t think Lakers can win with Luka Doncic & LeBron James
Another interesting narrative was that Luka Doncic and LeBron James would not be able to co-exist and there were certainly hiccups along the way. Two-man game between James and Doncic happened rarely and head coach JJ Redick did not find a way to mesh his stars together.
Granted, integrating a new franchise-altering star in a mid-season trade usually does not result in immediate success. Now that L.A. gets a full offseason with Doncic, the hope is that he gets more comfortable with his new team.
But, a former Lakers champion in Danny Green remains skeptical about James and Doncic’s fit together. He even went as far as to say that L.A. will not win with this pairing.
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