What if the Dallas Mavericks made Luka Doncic available to all 29 other teams?
It’s a question team executives across the league pondered in the early hours of Feb. 2, when the NBA world was still wrapping its head around the blockbuster that sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis to Dallas. The Lakers were the only team that Mavs general manager Nico Harrison spoke to about a deal.
To answer that question, we examined the teams that didn’t land Doncic and put together the framework of 28 separate — and hypothetical — trades for the five-time All-NBA guard, plus what else general manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers could have offered.
There are multiple caveats to the exercise.
The first and most important one is that the trade dialogue between the Mavericks and Lakers was complex and built on confidentiality. A big reason why the trade occurred is that there was no circus-type atmosphere of Doncic’s trade rumors. If he was made available to the other 28 teams, the trade likely would have fallen apart.
“If it had leaked out and the trade hadn’t happened, that would be really unfair to the progress that the coaching staff had made with the team,” Lakers owner Jeannie Buss said in February. “Because it’s a huge distraction.”
The second caveat focuses on the intricacies of the salary cap and apron rules. At the time of the deal, the Lakers were $3.5 million below the second apron and not allowed to take back additional salary in trades. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were $526K below the first apron and needed Davis to waive his $5.1 million trade bonus. (In the below trade scenarios, we are applying the same apron restrictions — and rosters — the Mavericks and the 29 other teams had on Feb. 1.)
Finally, we took into consideration that Doncic, who could become a free agent in the summer of 2026, might not sign an extension with his new team. So the hypothetical trade packages for some of the rebuilding teams are watered down.
Which front offices would go all-in with players and picks, even if Doncic is only on the roster for 17 months? Which superstars would be made available to Dallas? And which trade might Harrison and the Mavericks choose if they had 29 on the table?
To find out, let’s go back to the eve of arguably the most shocking trade in league history.
Jump to a Luka trade for:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI
CLE | DEN | DET | GS | HOU
IND | LAC | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS
The Luka trade
What they traded:
Anthony Davis
Max Christie
2029 unprotected first-round pick
What they could have offered:
Anthony Davis
Austin Reaves
2029 unprotected first-round pick
2030 first-round swap
2031 unprotected first-round pick
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Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban said the team should have gotten more from the Lakers.
“If the Mavs are going to trade Luka, that’s one thing,” Cuban told WFAA, the ABC affiliate in Dallas, last month. “Just get a better deal. No disrespect to Anthony Davis, but I still firmly believe if we had gotten four unprotected No. 1s and Anthony Davis and Max Christie, this would be a different conversation.”
Because Los Angeles owed Atlanta their 2025 first and Utah a 2027 first (top-4 protected), the maximum firsts they were allowed to send out was two.
To reach the four firsts as Cuban alluded to, Dallas would have needed to trade Austin Reaves in a separate trade for two future firsts.
“It was really important to me that we didn’t blow up the team,” Buss said.
The best offers for Dallas
If Dallas did entertain trade talks around the league, two teams have the perferred type of trade package — win-now players and draft picks — that could get a deal done.
What they could have offered:
Darius Garland
Jarrett Allen
2031 unprotected first-round pick
There is a risk-reward with the Cavaliers trading for Doncic. The reward is that Doncic-Donovan Mitchell instantly becomes the best backcourt in the NBA for a team that was already leading the Eastern Conference. The risk? The in-season trade disrupts team chemistry during one of the franchise’s best seasons. The loss of Allen in the two-for one-trade would also leave Cleveland thin in their frontcourt.
Note: Because there is $57 million in salary sent out, Dallas would include center Maxi Kleber in the deal.
What they could have offered:
Dillon Brooks
Reed Sheppard
Jabari Smith Jr.
2025 unprotected first-round pick (via Phoenix)
2027 unprotected first-round pick (via Phoenix)
The Rockets have the players and picks to make a blockbuster trade and still have enough left over to field a competitive team. In this trade, Doncic joins Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and Alperen Sengun in the new starting five. And Houston still has five tradable first-round picks available to use in another deal.
Swaps of All-Star guards
Should you trade Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, or James Harden if you have the chance to acquire Doncic? That is the question for each of the next three teams.
What they could have offered:
Trae Young
Onyeka Okongwu
2025 unprotected first-round pick (via Lakers)
2029 unprotected first-round pick
There is certainly irony here after Doncic and Young were traded for each other during the 2018 draft. The challenge now comes with selling Doncic on a roster that includes 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Dyson Daniels.
The Hawks do not have control of their first-round pick until 2028, but they are allowed to include the unprotected Lakers first in 2025 and their own in 2029.
What they could have offered:
LaMelo Ball
Mark Williams
2027 first-round pick
2027 top-14 protected first-round pick (via Charlotte; unprotected in 2028 if not conveyed)
The Hornets are another rebuilding team with the young players (Ball, Williams, Brandon Miller, Tidjane Salaun) and first-round picks (five tradable) to make a competitive offer. But, the post-trade Hornets leave Doncic with a roster of Miller, Salaun and a likely top-four first-round pick in June. Is that enough to commit long-term this summer?
What they could have offered:
James Harden
Terance Mann
2030 first-round pick swap
2031 unprotected first-round pick
A Harden-Kyrie Irving reunion in Dallas? That would be an option if the Clippers elect not to include Kawhi Leonard or a combination of Norman Powell, Terance Mann and PJ Tucker. (The Clippers do not have the draft assets that other teams have and are not allowed to trade their own first-round pick until 2031.)
Superstar backcourt partners
The Pistons already have star guard Cade Cunningham; same for Golden State and Stephen Curry. That doesn’t mean each franchise wouldn’t jump at the chance to acquire Doncic.
What they could have offered:
Tobias Harris
Ausar Thompson
Ron Holland II
2027 unprotected first-round pick
2029 unprotected first-round pick
The trade for Doncic solidifies the Pistons as a top-six team in the East this year and next, but does it move them closer to Cleveland, Boston and New York? The Pistons take a hit with their depth but have Doncic paired with Cunningham in the backcourt. Would that partnership of young guards, paired with Coach of the Year contender J.B. Bickerstaff, have been enough for Doncic to consider signing?
What they could have offered:
Andrew Wiggins
Jonathan Kuminga
Brandin Podziemski
Gary Payton II
2025 unprotected first-round pick
2026 first-round pick swap
2027 unprotected first-round pick
2030 first-round pick (if 1-20)
Luka and Steph. This is a supersized version of the trade Golden State sent to Miami to acquire Jimmy Butler. Here, Kuminga and Podziemski are included along with three first-round picks and one swap.
What they could have offered:
Myles Turner
Bennedict Mathurin
Aaron Nesmith
Obi Toppin
2028 unprotected first-round pick
2030 unprotected first-round pick
The Pacers wouldn’t include Tyrese Haliburton, an All-NBA guard who is under contract for the next four seasons. Meanwhile, Doncic could be a free agent in 2026.
But this deal would still gut Indiana’s roster, sending out two starters, two rotational players and two unprotected future firsts. The Pacers could also swap out the four players for All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, who is making over $42 million this season.
What they could have offered:
Desmond Bane
Jaylen Wells
Brandon Clarke
2027 unprotected first-round pick
2029 unprotected first-round pick
Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Ja Morant? One of the Grizzlies three young stars would need to be the starting point of a blockbuster Doncic trade. Bane is the choice here, as the Grizzlies frontcourt would be depleted if Jackson was sent to Dallas. Plus, Morant has two more years on his contract compared to Doncic.
What they could have offered:
Paul George
Jared McCain
2026 first-round pick (least favorable of Houston; if 6-30, Oklahoma City and Clippers),
2028 unprotected first-round pick (via Clippers)
2029 unprotected first-round pick
2031 unprotected first-round pick
Joel Embiid cannot be traded because he signed an extension, leaving Philadelphia with Tyrese Maxey and Paul George as the two trade options. Maxey, the 24-year-old All-star guard on the first of a five-year max contract, should be a non-starter in trade talks — even with the possibility of acquiring Doncic. The four first-round picks are the maximum Philadelphia can send in a deal.
More bigs for the Mavs
Harrison explained why he was focused on trading specifically for Anthony Davis.
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Harrison told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, explaining his motivation to deal Doncic for Davis. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”
The Heat’s Bam Adebayo meets that criteria, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Domantas Sabonis each give Dallas versatility to pair with big men Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford.
What they could have offered:
Bam Adebayo
Haywood Highsmith
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
2029 unprotected first-round pick
2031 unprotected first-round pick
It’s important to note that on Feb. 1, Jimmy Butler is still on the roster and has not yet been dealt to Golden State. But considering Dallas is prioritizing a big frontcourt that can compete for a championship, Adebayo is the perfect fit, not Butler. The Heat still have Tyler Herro, center Kel’el Ware and the returns from a Butler trade to build around Doncic.
Note: To unlock their first-round picks in 2029 and 2031, the Heat would have to eliminate the pick protection on the 2025 first to Oklahoma City and 2027 first to Charlotte.
What they could have offered:
Karl-Anthony Towns
2025 top-10 protected first-round pick (via Washington; 2026 top-8 protected if not conveyed)
Doncic and Jalen Brunson, reunited in New York. To get there, Dallas would need to accept a lesser package than what was sent in the actual deal from the Lakers. New York has only one first-round pick they can trade (and that might be conveyed) and are top-heavy in contracts.
The Knicks could alter the trade, removing Towns and replacing him with a combination of Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart.
What they could have offered:
Domantas Sabonis
Keon Ellis
Devin Carter
2028 unprotected first-round pick
2030 unprotected first-round pick
Nearly seven years after they passed on him in the draft, Doncic becomes a Sacramento King. But while the Doncic and De’Aaron Fox backcourt is enticing — remember, Fox wasn’t traded yet to the Spurs — there is significant risk with this trade for Sacramento.
In addition to trading Sabonis, the Kings are faced with the possibility of not only Doncic becoming a free agent in 2026, but also Fox.
The apron teams
Teams over the second apron were not allowed to combine contracts sent out. For example, that left the Celtics with Jaylen Brown as the only player they could have traded for Doncic. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are a first-apron team and are allowed to aggregate contracts. But the only player on their roster they could have traded is Michael Porter Jr.
A third team is required to take back additional salary from Dallas in each of the below trades.
What they could have offered:
Michael Porter Jr.
Christian Braun
Dario Saric
2031 unprotected first-round pick
The Nuggets are not trading three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon cannot be traded this season. That leaves Porter and Braun as the two valuable trade candidates.
Note: To include their 2031 first-round pick, Denver would need to remove the pick protection for the first owed to Oklahoma City in 2027 and 2029.
What they could have offered:
Jaylen Brown
2027 unprotected first-round pick
2031 unprotected first-round pick
Would the Celtics trade the Finals MVP before they had the opportunity to defend their title? Probably not. But, due to second apron restrictions, Brown is the only player that makes a Doncic deal work. (Boston is not allowed to combine contracts.)
The trade costs Boston two unprotected first-round picks in years when Doncic might not be on the roster, but the blockbuster would pair two of the top five players in the NBA in Doncic and Jayson Tatum.
What they could have offered:
Damian Lillard
2031 unprotected first-round pick
The Bucks are another team over the second apron and limited in draft picks to send out. Because they are not allowed to aggregate contracts, the only option was sending Lillard or Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks have only their 2031 first-round pick to trade.
What they could have offered:
Rudy Gobert
2025 first-round pick (via Detroit; top-13 protected)
2028 first-round pick swap
Because Minnesota can’t combine contracts, the option is Gobert or Anthony Edwards. Edwards for Doncic makes the most sense basketball wise, but there is a significant hold up: Edwards is not a free agent until the summer of 2029. Previous trades have depleted Minnesota’s draft assets, leaving the Wolves with only the Pistons’ first-round pick this season and swap rights in 2028.
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What they could have offered:
Kevin Durant
2025 first-round pick (via Cleveland)
2027 first-round pick (least favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota and Utah)
2029 first-round pick (least favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota; if 6-30, and Utah)
The Suns can’t aggregate contracts and Bradley Beal has a no-trade clause. Those two restrictions would leave Phoenix with the option of trading Durant or Devin Booker.
Booker is eight years younger than Durant and has three years left on his contract after this season. Durant has one. The three first-round picks are the maximum Phoenix could trade.
Historic draft-pick packages
Teams on this list focused less on sending players and more on massive packages of first-round picks. The Thunder, for example, sent seven.
What they could have offered:
Nic Claxton
Cam Thomas
De’Anthony Melton
Four first-round picks
Brooklyn has up to 12 tradeable first-round picks and starter-level players (Cameron Johnson and Claxton, for example) to offer Dallas. But that does not mean the Nets should go all-in with their draft assets, considering the roster is in the early stages of a rebuild.
The compensation sent includes all four Knicks first-rounders acquired in the Mikal Bridges deal (2025, 2027, 2029, 2031).
What they could have offered:
CJ McCollum
Herbert Jones
2025 unprotected first-round pick
2027 unprotected first-round pick
2029 unprotected first-round pick
2031 unprotected first-round pick
The Pelicans have a plethora of players to choose from, including Brandon Ingram (he wasn’t traded until Feb. 5), Zion Williamson, McCollum and Jones. Trey Murphy III can’t be traded because he signed a rookie extension before the season.
The goal for the Mavericks would be to exclude Williamson and replace him with four unprotected firsts, including the potential top pick in this year’s draft.
What they could have offered:
Lu Dort
Isaiah Joe
Aaron Wiggins
Ousmane Dieng
Kenrich Williams
2025 first-round pick (via Philadelphia; top-6 protected)
2025 first-round pick (via Miami; top-14 protected)
2026 first-round pick (most favorable of OKC, Houston; if 6-30, and Clippers)
2027 Denver first (top-5 protected)
2029 Denver first (top-5 protected)
2029 unprotected first-round pick
2031 unprotected first-round pick
The cost is historically steep, but imagine pairing Luka with the Thunder’s big three?
Protecting those core players (MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren) means a record-breaking seven first-rounders would be sent to Dallas. Oklahoma City also loses some depth with five players, including their defensive stopper in Dort, joining the Mavericks.
What they could have offered:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Cole Anthony
Anthony Black
Jett Howard
2025 unprotected first-round pick
2027 unprotected first-round pick
2029 unprotected first-round pick
2031 unprotected first-round pick
2025 first-round pick (via Denver; top-5 protected)
The Magic have five first-rounders to trade but are challenged with cobbling together enough contracts to make a trade work. Orlando can’t trade Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Wendell Carter Jr. and probably would not entertain moving Paolo Banchero. That leaves a combination of Caldwell-Pope, Anthony and former first-round picks Black and Howard.
What they could have offered:
Harrison Barnes
Tre Jones
Zach Collins
2025 unprotected first-round pick
2025 unprotected first-round pick (via Atlanta)
2027 unprotected first-round pick
2027 unprotected first-round pick (via Atlanta)
2029 unprotected first-round pick
2031 unprotected first-round pick (via Minnesota)
De’Aaron Fox or Luka Doncic? That could have been the choice the Spurs had to ponder in the leadup to the trade deadline.
Ultimately in this scenario, San Antonio chooses Doncic. The cost to pair him with Victor Wembanyama is an unprecedented six unprotected first-round picks. San Antonio is depleting most of its draft assets while retaining its core players, including Devin Vassell and rookie of the year favorite Stephon Castle.
Rebuilding teams take the risk
For rebuilding teams buried in the bottom of the standings, this is their one shot to acquire a top-five player entering his prime. But does the threat of Doncic leaving in 2026 throw a wrinkle into what they offer in a trade?
What they could have offered:
Zach LaVine
Matas Buzelis
2028 unprotected first-round pick
2030 unprotected first-round pick
The Bulls finally move on from LaVine (he wasn’t yet traded to the Kings), but it comes at the cost of Buzelis and two valuable unprotected first-round picks in 2028 and 2030. Doncic joins a roster that is top heavy with guards (Lonzo Ball, Coby White, Jevon Carter, Josh Giddey and Ayo Dosunmu).
What they could have offered:
Scoot Henderson
Jerami Grant
Shaedon Sharpe
2029 first-round pick (most favorable of Portland, Boston and Milwaukee)
2029 first-round pick (least favorable of Portland, Boston and Milwaukee)
2030 unprotected first-round pick
The Trail Blazers could include all of their young players (Henderson, Sharpe, Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara) but that is a high premium if there are concerns Doncic might not extend.
Note: Portland owes Chicago a top-14 protected first-round pick over the next five years. The Trail Blazers could eliminate the pick protection and send their own 2027 to Dallas, but that would see the Bulls receive a 2025 unprotected first-round pick.
What they could have offered:
Immanuel Quickley
Gradey Dick
Ochai Agbaji
2025 unprotected first-round pick
2027 first-round pick (via Indiana; top-4 protected)
2029 unprotected first-round pick
Scottie Barnes would be a trade candidate for Doncic, but the 2024 All-Star signed a rookie extension last July and is not eligible to be moved. The exclusion of Barnes leaves Toronto with a package of three first-round picks, Quickley, Dick and Abaji as its best offer. And the Raptors would still have enough contracts (Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk) and draft capital to make the trade for Brandon Ingram.
What they could have offered:
John Collins
Isaiah Collier
Taylor Hendricks
Two 2027 first-round picks (most favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota and Utah)
2029 first-round pick (most favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota; if 6-30, and Utah)
The Jazz have, by far, the best collection of first-round picks to offer in a deal for Doncic.
Their own first-round pick in six of the next seven drafts
Five unprotected first-round picks from Cleveland and Minnesota
A top-4 protected 2027 first-round pick from the Lakers
A top-5 protected 2029 first-round pick from the Timberwolves
But after nearly three years of rebuilding, would Utah sacrifice it for a shot at Doncic?
Note: Because Lauri Markkanen can’t be traded, Collins’ $26.6 million salary is needed to make the deal work.
What they could have offered:
Alex Sarr
Jordan Poole
2028 unprotected first-round pick
2029 first-round pick (second-most favorable of Portland, Boston and Milwaukee)
2030 unprotected first-round pick
The addition of Doncic would certainly accelerate the rebuild in Washington. But giving up the former No. 2 pick Sarr plus three first-round picks is too rich, considering the possibility Doncic walks in the 2026 offseason. The small trade-off is getting out of the $95 million still owed to Poole.
If Dallas’ goal is to compete for a championship, the addition of Sarr should help in the future, but not now. The 2028 and 2030 unprotected first does have value, especially if Doncic leaves Washington in free agency.
Source: espn.com