Surprise East Contender Was Willing to Give up 'Everything' For Lakers' Luka Doncic

The Los Angeles Lakers managed to acquire young superstar Luka Doncic after private negotiations with the Dallas Mavericks. However, an Eastern Conference team would have given up "everything" if they had the chance to negotiate.

The Lakers and Mavericks held talks in secret, mainly because of Mavs' general manager Nico Harrison's interest in landing former Laker Anthony Davis.

It has been widely reported that Harrison values defense and that he had long been an admirer of Davis due to his two-way ability.

According to new reporting from Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Bulls would have been willing to do anything to land Doncic.

"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 in a story for the Sun-Times.

The Bulls have a limited pool of assets that, as Cowley points out, would have likely not beaten out the Lakers' package.

The best package would likely include guard Coby White, Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Patrick Williams, a 2026 first-round pick via Portland (top 14 protected), and even the team's own 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031 first-round picks.

This would be "anyone and everyone" that the Bulls could offer, gutting the team's prospects and established, productive players, and adding in several draft picks as well.

Lakers & Bulls have their playmakers BATTLING early ⚔️

Luka Dončić: 17 PTS in the 1Q
Coby White: 16 PTS in the 1Q

Second quarter underway on NBA League Pass! pic.twitter.com/NAxbV50zNS
— NBA (@NBA) March 23, 2025

In that offer, no one player is better than Anthony Davis, who is easily a top 10 player in the NBA. The Lakers also added promising guard Max Christie, who already can operate as a secondary ball-handler and is figuring out how to create his shot.

White and Giddey have severe defensive flaws in their game that would not complement the roster, while Williams has not taken the next steps in his development.

The Bulls' offer would give the Mavs additional assets for moves down the line; however, the organization is clearly building for the immediate future and instant title contention.

While the Lakers would beat out the Bulls' offer, it is possible another team could have offered a better package had the negotiations been opened up.

It is hard to imagine any other team realistically offering a better player than Davis. Still, a package with several developed, quality players in their prime could have become too much for Harrison to turn down.

Regardless, Doncic is now a Laker, and the Bulls appear stuck in the NBA's no-man's land, a team consistently fighting for a play-in spot that will likely see the team eliminated by the top seeds.

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