Constructing 3 better Luka Doncic trade packages the Mavs could have easily made happen

One day, we shall tell our grandkids about the Luka Doncic trade.

Few trades in recent memory have more dramatically shifted the balance of power in the NBA. Doncic, at 25 years old, is a five-time All-Star and All-NBA point guard with a Finals appearance under his belt. He is practically the odds-on favorite to win MVP at the beginning of each season, and he's one of the most dependably clutch performers in the sport.

The Dallas Mavericks' decision to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and pocket change defies logic. Mavs GM Nico Harrison did his best to explain the move afterward, but he couldn't come close to justifying the unjustifiable. Rather than build a sustainable contender around basketball's most prolific self-creator, the Mavs will now hope an aging Anthony Davis can bring the "defense wins championships" bravura necessary to overcome a disjointed, ill-fitted offense.

It's hard to sum up the incompetence necessary to engineer such a trade, but Harrison has achieved astounding levels of "dude, what are you doing?" Dallas did not shop Doncic to other teams, but instead dealt exclusively with the Lakers in secret. Their goal all along was to acquire Anthony Davis, a former Nike client who worked with Harrison during his tenure with the shoe company. Of course, that is not a coincidence.

Trading Doncic was a bad idea to start with. Trading him without notifying all 29 teams and drumming up a historic bidding war is blatant malpractice. Here are just a few realistic, economically feasible trade packages Dallas could have received instead of 31-year-old AD, a single first-round pick, and a shot in the dark on Max Christie.

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3. Mavericks could've traded Luka Doncic to Timberwolves for Anthony Edwards

Hypothetical return package: Anthony Edwards, Rob Dillingham

Which is the better asset: 31-year-old Anthony Davis with a lengthy track record of lower-leg injuries, or 23-year-old Anthony Edwards, who has never missed more than 10 games in a season to date?

Ask Nico Harrison, and the answer is simple: Anthony Davis. Ask every other human on the planet, and it's probably Ant.

If the Mavs' core concern was Doncic's lackluster conditioning, Edwards is a natural pivot — two years younger with the physique of a Greek statue. One could quibble with trading Doncic in the West, but hey, that didn't stop Dallas from shipping him to Los Angeles. The Minnesota Timberwolves have been in a funk ever since trading Karl-Anthony Towns. Doncic could put them right back in the NBA Finals mix.

This trade would've set up a classic rivalry. Doncic and the Mavs eliminated Edwards' Wolves in the conference finals last season. To reverse those roles and light a fire beneath two of the NBA's brightest young stars with a trade? It would've been a thing of beauty. The Mavs shouldn't do this trade either, to be clear, but if trading Doncic was, somehow, a necessity, Edwards is a far more productive and sustainable building block than Davis.

Edwards probably is not "better" than AD in a vacuum right now, but their career arcs are naturally trending in opposite directions. The Mavs' roster is also built to accentuate a ball-dominant perimeter creator, not another 7-footer who relies on his playmakers for easy offense. The Mavs' guard rotation right now consists of Kyrie Irving and... Spencer Dinwiddie? Jaden Hardy? It's bad. Edwards would've been a much cleaner fit, in addition to his potential decade-plus of positive impact.

2. Mavericks could've traded Luka Doncic to Rockets for ultimate haul

Hypothetical return package: Dillon Brooks, Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, 2025 first-round pick (PHX), 2027 first-round pick (PHX), 2027 first-round pick (BKN), 2029 first-round pick (HOU), 2031 first-round pick (HOU)

It would've stung deeply to trade Luka Doncic within the division and within the state, but it's probably not worse than sending him to the glitz and glam of Los Angeles. The Mavs just gift-wrapped the next Lakers legend without need or reason, so sending him to the Houston Rockets for a strong return feels almost palatable by comparison.

The Rockets are loaded with quality draft picks and dynamic young talent. Amen Thompson is making the star leap before our eyes, averaging 17.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 52.7 percent shooting since moving into the starting lineup last month. He is already one of the very best perimeter defenders and weak-side shot blockers in the NBA (shout out to Harrison's "defense wins championships" proclamation) and he is incredibly well-rounded on offense, despite a shaky jumper.

Thompson has all the hallmarks of a future All-Star. He is a top-one percent athlete in a league brimming with world-class acrobats. His speed, twitchiness, and playmaking chops are a challenging combination for opposing defenses to contain. Thompson can sling every pass in the book and he's impossible to keep out of the paint.

Pair him with a generational shooting prospect like Reed Sheppard, as well as some of the best draft assets in circulation, and the Mavs are set up well both short and long-term. This trade does not match the immediate impact of Anthony Davis, but it gives the Mavs a sustainable path to contention for the next decade without worrying about Luka's so-called conditioning issues. Dillon Brooks is an impactful throw-in, attuned to Harrison's defense-first mentality.

1. Mavericks could've traded Luka Doncic for OKC's treasure trove

Hypothetical return package: Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace, Nikola Topic, 2025 first-round pick (PHI), 2026 first-round pick (OKC), 2027 first-round pick (DEN), 2028 first-round pick (DAL), 2031 first-round pick (OKC)

This is an absurdly stacked trade return and it's absolutely something the Oklahoma City Thunder would've considered. OKC is uniquely positioned to liquidate its draft stores without becoming asset-poor. The Thunder are a young contender with quite literally too many first-round picks — as in OKC won't be able to roster all of them. Sam Presti has been waiting patiently to pounce on the right high-profile addition. Doncic certainly fits the bill.

Let's all pause for a moment to imagine Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt. I don't care if OKC's offense boils down to a your turn, my turn approach with their All-NBA guards, because that duo would be unstoppable. Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander are the most prolific advantage creators in the NBA. Both operate at unique, arrhythmic tempos, throwing defenses out of whack and putting constant pressure on the rim. It would've been special to watch them operate in tandem with one another.

Dallas gets back more first-round picks than most teams presently own, as well as a who's-who of quality long-term prospects. Jalen Williams is already an All-Star at 23 years old, with the sort of all-around skill set that makes him a perfect complement to a guard like Kyrie Irving. Cason Wallace, meanwhile, is quietly building his All-Defense case; Nikola Topic is a top-10 pick just waiting for a clean bill of health. Isaiah Hartenstein is primarily used to match salaries, but he's also an elite interior defender who could be easily rerouted for more assets, should Dallas want to keep Derrick Lively in the starting five.

This sort of deal — with an All-Star eight years younger than Davis, multiple up-and-coming prospects on the same timeline, and a treasure trove of draft picks — would have at least made the Doncic trade a bit easier to stomach. Dallas wouldn't be setting its franchise back so dramatically. But, instead, the Mavs have a tight window with Irving and Davis, one almost destined to slam shut before it ever truly opens. Tough scene.