10 NBA Teams That Could've Beat Lakers' Anthony Davis Trade Package for Luka Dončić
Less than 24 hours removed from the initial news of quite possibly the most shocking trade in NBA history, fans and media are still sorting through the fallout of the Luka Dončić deal.
One of the biggest mysteries remains the Dallas Mavericks' apparent lack of shopping around before sending their all-time great playmaker to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Athletic's Sam Amick reported that Dallas may have had contact with one other team, but if Dallas had made Luka's availability public, several more would've lined up. There's just no question about that.
And if there was some indication that Luka eventually wanted to end up in L.A. in 2026 (when he can be a free agent), plenty of teams would've ponied up offers for a 17-month rental.
Here are the organizations that could've beaten (or at least challenged) what the Mavericks actually got (Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a single, solitary first-round pick) for one of the best players to ever be in the NBA.
And, I write this with sincerest apologies to Dallas fans, this list probably isn't exhaustive.
Utah Jazz
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We'll start with the teams that have boatloads of draft picks, as well as a word on Anthony Davis.
The former Lakers big man is performing like a top 5-10 player this season. I'm not ready to concede that this is even a win-now move (Luka just dragged a non-Finals team to the NBA Finals in the varsity conference less than 12 months ago), but the most optimistic Mavericks fans might be able to sell themselves on this deal by imagining the AD-Kyrie Irving pairing in the upcoming postseason.
If the front office's calculus was "We have to trade Luka, and we have to make a deal that keeps us competitive," Davis, a solid young wing and a pick is at least comparable to what some other teams could've offered.
But that didn't have to be the calculus. If Luka really was going to force his way out (early reporting suggests that was not the case), Dallas should've at least been open to rebuild-friendly deals. And the Utah Jazz, who were involved in the actual trade, could've given them a doozy.
Utah doesn't have a star or surefire future star to send to the Mavericks, but it had enough salary (thanks to John Collins and Collin Sexton) to make a deal work under the collective bargaining agreement. And while the Stepien rule (which prevents teams from emerging from a deal without a first-rounder in back-to-back years) wouldn't have allowed the Jazz to surrender all their picks, they have a whopping 11 firsts between now and 2031.
Factor in the ability to swap firsts with Dallas, and Utah could've completely changed the Mavs' future (though Dallas general manager Nico Harrison doesn't seem to care about that).
Oklahoma City Thunder
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The Oklahoma City Thunder probably wouldn't have offered Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Luka, but they still could've given Dallas 23-year-old Jalen Williams, salary filler and, like Utah, tons of draft capital.
OKC potentially has access to 13 first-round picks between now and 2031 (yes, 13). And some of those could be enhanced by the ability to swap with other teams. They also have another 17 seconds in the same timeframe.
It's a truly absurd trove of assets.
And while there's a reasonable discussion about whether OKC would even need to get in on a Luka sweepstakes (it's a title contender with or without him), the point is that the Thunder could beat the L.A. offer.
And an SGA/Dončić pairing, though it might take some time to sort out the usage, would be truly unstoppable.
San Antonio Spurs
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Yet another team that could've instantly given the Mavericks one of the best rebuilding foundations in the league, the San Antonio Spurs have plenty of salary-matching contracts (like Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins) and access to up to 12 first-round picks (including four in 2025).
They could've sweetened any possible deal with over a dozen second-rounders, too.
Again, Dallas may insist on that kind of trade simply being a non-starter, but the Spurs could've offered enough draft capital to at least make them think about taking a different approach.
And this possibility comes with the added imaginary benefit of pairing Dončić with Victor Wembanyama, giving San Antonio perhaps the most exciting young duo the NBA's seen since Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant joined forces in the late 1990s.
Brooklyn Nets
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The Brooklyn Nets are another team with enough in the trove to have at least made Dallas consider a full rebuild.
Their biggest 2024-25 salary belongs to Ben Simmons, and his contract expires this summer. That's tons of salary flexibility, almost right away.
And the Nets have some control over a whopping 14 first-round draft picks between now and 2031. Again, they can't offer all of that, but when you add swaps to the mix, they could easily put together a robust enough package to make the Mavs think.
New Orleans Pelicans
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One more potential rebuild-friendly package could've come from the New Orleans Pelicans.
They don't have as many first-rounders to offer, but when you add swaps to the mix, they can get up around the range of what Brooklyn got for Mikal Bridges (five firsts).
And while all the talk of Luka's conditioning (which, frankly, feels a little manufactured) may make deals involving Zion Williamson feel unlikely, he's at least a top-flight talent (something Brooklyn and Utah can't really offer).
On the off chance Zion could stay healthy, the 24-year-old forward would have more years of dominant scoring in front of him than soon-to-be-32-year-old AD.
Boston Celtics
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The Celtics are another team that probably wouldn't have chased Luka—the optics eight months after winning the title would've been, at the very least, funky. But they would've at least had a meeting.
If the Mavs were all-in on remaining competitive in 2024-25, Jayson Tatum (or to a lesser extent, Jaylen Brown) could've checked that box.
Both Boston wings are years younger than AD, and pairing either with multiple firsts (Boston could potentially have access to up to six) would've made for a package that at least challenged what Dallas got.
Now, plenty of Boston fans are probably fuming. Tatum just led the team to a title and beat Luka in the Finals. He's generally been more available than Dončić throughout his career. And he's a better defender.
But Luka is on a legitimate "could be one of the 5-10 best players of all time" path. And surrounding him with the supporting cast that just helped Tatum win a ring would've made the Celtics better.
Orlando Magic
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This one feels similar to the kind of package Boston could've put together for Luka, with the added benefit of having access to more first-rounders.
Orlando could've paired one of Franz Wagner or Paolo Banchero with Jalen Suggs and whatever other salary filler was necessary. And then, they potentially have access to eight first-round picks between now and 2031.
In a vacuum, that doesn't feel like enough to get Luka, but everyone would've said the same thing about the L.A. package that actually got the deal done.
Cleveland Cavaliers
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They don't have access to nearly as many first-round picks, and you can put them in a "not sure they'd even want to deal" camp OKC is in, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are another team that could've at least challenged what the Lakers dealt for Luka.
They have perhaps the best top four in the league with Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen. Dealing two of those four with a future first-round pick swap and a future first-round pick could've kept Dallas competitive while also juicing the stash of future assets a bit.
This one isn't a surefire "better than the L.A. trade" possibility, but all four of the Cavs above are younger than AD. And Cleveland could've given up two stars instead of one.
Miami Heat
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Remember the Miami Heat's "Dame package" that seemed so offensive to so many Portland Trail Blazers fans?
That (or some variation of it) might be better than what the Mavericks just got for Luka. And now, they can add the increasingly intriguing Kel'el Ware to the mix.
Him, Tyler Herro, Nikola Jović and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are a solid start to a deal, and Miami potentially has access to five first-round picks between now and 2031.
Again, that doesn't mean the Heat can actually trade five first-rounders, but a pick and a couple swaps (or a couple picks and a swap) is better than one 2029 first from an L.A. team that now figures to be good for the foreseeable future.
Houston Rockets
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Amen Thompson has played well enough this season to become one of the most interesting young trade assets in the league. If we take Harrison at his word on the importance of defense, Thompson should be someone he'd put a ton of value in.
Defensive Player of the Year has long been a big man's award, but Thompson has the potential to win it one day.
Add him to some of Houston's big salaries and some portion of its trove of future picks (it potentially has access to eight first-rounders between now and 2031), and the Rockets have the ability to put together one of the best star-fetching trade packages in the NBA.
Anyone Else?
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Again, the list above isn't exhaustive.
AD is still one of the best players in the league right now, but he's injury-prone and past his prime. He came with one first-round pick and one young player who isn't guaranteed a long NBA career.
Depending on what you value in a star trade, there are at least arguments for several other teams.
The Charlotte Hornets have LaMelo Ball. The Golden State Warriors have some young talent and more than one pick to offer. The Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns and even Minnesota Timberwolves could all justify giving up their young (or young-ish) cornerstone talents for Dončić.
We haven't seen a career start like his, at least not statistically, since his new teammate, LeBron James, entered the league.
Luka could legitimately go down as one of the two or three best playmakers the NBA has ever seen, and Dallas just dealt him in the dead of night without starting a bidding war.
If the Mavs had told the league he was available on Saturday, it's hard to imagine a team that wouldn't have at least made an offer before Thursday. Some would've been more serious than others, but each of the 29 other organizations in the league almost certainly would've called.
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