Inside The Nets

Should Nets Have Made Offer For Luka Doncic?

The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic and only netted one first-round pick. Should the Brooklyn Nets have gotten involved?
Jeremy Brener|
Jan 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on during a stoppage in play during the first half of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Jan 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on during a stoppage in play during the first half of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets and the rest of the NBA are still processing the blockbuster trade from over the weekend that sent Luka Doncic from the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Mavs got All-NBA center Anthony Davis, Max Christie and one 2029 first-round pick in the deal, and many have slammed Dallas for the return package because it didn't contain more future draft capital.

Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey believes the Nets could have beaten the Mavs' offer.

"The Brooklyn Nets are another team with enough in the trove to have at least made Dallas consider a full rebuild," Bailey writes.

"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."

The Nets never had a chance to beat the Lakers' offer because general managers Rob Pelinka and Nico Harrison kept things so airtight over the past few weeks, and the conversation never opened up beyond the two teams.

This is an example of how all general managers around the league are very different because the valuations vary between teams, so one man's price doesn't mean the same in each place, and that's an important lesson every team is going to figure out this week.

The trade deadline is set for Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, but in the meantime, the Nets are back in action tomorrow night as they take on the Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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