Eastern Conference Team ‘Would Have Offered Anyone and Everyone’ for Luka Doncic in February originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Dallas Mavericks shocked the sports world when they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
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Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison approached Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka about the Doncic trade. Pelinka traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie to get Doncic.
Teams around the NBA were upset that they didn’t get a chance to trade for Doncic, one of the top players in the league. Harrison targeted Davis in Doncic trade talks since he believes defense wins championships and has known the Chicago native for a long time.
Speaking of Chicago, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls “would have offered anyone and everyone” for Doncic in February. However, they never got the chance to speak with the Mavericks.
“A source told the Sun-Times that 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, but even then, it wouldn’t have been better than what the Lakers gave the Mavericks,” Cowley wrote.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on during a game.Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
The Mavericks likely wouldn’t have accepted the Bulls’ offer for Doncic, who averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists with the Lakers in the regular season after Dallas traded him.
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The future Hall of Famer then put up 30.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves postseason series. The Timberwolves beat the Lakers in the first round in five games.
The Bulls haven’t made the playoffs since 2022. Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan are no longer on the team.
Chicago has reached the conference finals once (2011) since winning the 1998 championship.
Related: Lakers Predicted to ‘Try’ Trading for Luka Doncic’s Former Teammate
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.