The Los Angeles Lakers' acquisition of star guard Luka Doncic was one of the biggest surprises in sports history. Nobody saw the trade between Los Angeles and the Dallas Mavericks coming, leading to shock and drama throughout the entire NBA.
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But part of the reason why the trade went down was due to the secretive nature of the trade. No other teams knew that Dallas was looking to unload Doncic, otherwise, a bidding war likely would have erupted for his services.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Bulls were willing to offer everything on their team for the chance to land Doncic. But the Bulls were never given the chance to talk to the Mavericks due to the behind-the-scenes aspect of the Lakers trade.
"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."
Los Angeles giving up Anthony Davis for Doncic likely trumps any deal that the Bulls could have offered the Mavericks. But Dallas may have been able to receive more draft picks or a stronger package from another team.
While the Bulls likely won't get the chance to get Doncic now, fans should look at this as exciting. Chicago has been stuck in mediocrity for years, and fans have called for the front office to be aggressive in either rebuilding or putting together a winning team.
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With Doncic now with the Lakers, Los Angeles is set up well for the future. With Doncic and LeBron James in the mix this past season, the Lakers earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference entering the playoffs.
While the team was eliminated early, the future remains very bright for Los Angeles. The team will focus on adding more frontcourt depth this offseason, and if they can, this team can truly compete for a title next season.
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