There are still times we watch the Los Angeles Lakers play and have to do a double-take to process the fact that Luka Doncic is in purple and gold. There were so many layers to the Doncic deal that made it perhaps the most shocking in NBA history.
We could go on about how the Mavericks never should have traded Luka away in the first place. But, as Mark Cuban noted, if they were set on moving Doncic for whatever reason, "just get a better deal."
GM Nico Harrison set the Mavericks franchise back several years, if not decades, by handpicking Anthony Davis and the Lakers without canvassing the league to see what else they could have gotten in exchange. After all, Doncic is a top-five player in the league, just entering his prime and coming off a season where he led his team to the NBA Finals.
Practically every team in the league could have offered something more enticing than the return Dallas got.
ESPN pitches what Blazers could have offered for Luka Doncic
ESPN's Bobby Marks recently created blockbuster trade packages that all 28 other teams around the league hypothetically could have offered Dallas. Here is his hindsight mock proposal for the Portland Trail Blazers to land Doncic:
The first-round picks going to Dallas would be 2029 (most favorable of Portland, Boston, and Milwaukee), 2029 (least favorable of Portland, Boston, and Milwaukee), and 2030 unprotected. That would be quite the upgrade on draft capital for Dallas, as they somehow only received one first-round pick back from the Lakers.
Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe both have All-Star upside and would give Dallas a promising young backcourt to extend their window and prepare for life after 33-year-old Kyrie Irving. They do the Blazers a favor by taking on Jerami Grant, who is arguably a negative asset at this point, given his declining play, age, and contract -- but they need to do so in order to make the salaries match.
For Portland, this deal would be a no-brainer. They finally get off Grant's contract and land a certified superstar without having to sacrifice their entire core. Yes, it would hurt parting ways with both Henderson and Sharpe, but landing someone of Doncic's caliber won't come cheap, especially if they have to compete with the rest of the league in a bidding war (unlike the Lakers).
Portland could start Doncic, Anfernee Simons, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Deandre Ayton/Donovan Clingan. That is immediately a playoff team, even in the loaded Western Conference. It has a bit of everything, surrounding Doncic with shooting, secondary playmakers, two-way wings, and a plethora of bigs at his disposal.
But more importantly, it's not necessarily too aggressive of a move in terms of accelerating the timeline. Every player in that lineup is 24-26 years old, making it a core that could enter their prime together.
The only thing preventing this deal from being an A+ is the possibility that Doncic wouldn't extend his contract with the Blazers. That's still a risk Portland likely would've been thrilled to take.
Grade: A