People are still bewildered by how the Luka Doncic trade went down a few months ago. On Feb. 1, he was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a future first-round draft pick, and the deal happened without any warning or whisper.
There have been reports that the Mavericks offered Doncic to at least one other team for another superstar. But many cannot understand why they didn’t make him publicly available in order to get the best return possible, and as a result, general manager Nico Harrison has become persona non grata in Texas.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Bulls were willing to do just about anything it would’ve taken to land the Slovenian wonder had they known he could’ve been had (h/t Fadeaway World).
“A source told the Sun-Times that Arturas 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,” reported Cowley.
The Bulls appear to be rebuilding once again after letting DeMar DeRozan leave last summer to join the Sacramento Kings and then trading Zach LaVine to Sacramento in February. However, had they landed Doncic, he would likely have found himself in a frustrating situation, since he would’ve been on a team that wouldn’t have offered him more support than he had in Dallas.
They went 39-43 this season, but they lost by 19 points in the play-in tournament to the Miami Heat and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are on the doorstep of championship contention thanks to Doncic, who turned 26 years of age just three months ago.
