Last year, the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers broke the internet when they swapped Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis in possibly the biggest trade in NBA history.
The two teams’ general managers, Nico Harrison and Rob Pelinka, were old friends. Harrison was fed up with Doncic’s conditioning, and Pelinka was searching for a future as LeBron James‘ time continued to tick down.
A year later, Harrison is out as Mavericks GM, Anthony Davis is now a Washington Wizard, and the Dallas Mavericks, under no circumstances, will pick up any call made by Pelinka or a member of the Lakers organization.
Dan Woike, the Lakers reporter for The Athletic, believes the Mavericks will not make any transactions with Los Angeles following the Doncic swap.
“Naji Marshall has also generated interest around the Lakers,” wrote Woike. “Though the pathways to any deal with the Dallas Mavericks after the Luka Dončić trade last season have gigantic “road closed” signs all over them. The same is probably true for Daniel Gafford.”
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The Mavericks are in full rebuild mode following Wednesday’s trade with the Wizards to offload the often-injured superstar Davis, whom they received as the key piece in the Doncic deal.
Davis did not play more than five consecutive games with the Mavericks during his short, polarizing tenure in Dallas.
For the Lakers, they are attempting to make any substantial deal they can without giving up major cap space or combo guard Austin Reaves. The team reportedly hopes the Milwaukee Bucks keep Giannis Antetokounmpo so they have room to trade for him this summer, following the expected departure of LeBron James.
While a move for one of the Mavericks’ big men would be a boon for the team and Doncic, who had so much success with them, that seems out of the question with less than 24 hours remaining before the trade deadline.